no, they are cheapies from Beauty and Barber. They weren't a total waste in the sense that I had to throw them away, I just havn't been able to shave with them. I have been using them to work on my honing skills, which is nice, because In the back of my mind I think that if I somehow totally screw em up, they were cheap anyway so not a big loss. One of them has a nice twist, and I can't do anything with it yet. The other two I am slowly working on. I spend about an hour every other night putting one or the other against the stones. they arent anywhere close to good yet, but I am making progress. I am getting a "feel for it". I had a huge AH-HA! moment last night when it dawned on me that I wasnt geting anywhere because the bevel was never set properly, and no amount of time on my 4k (even with a nice slurry) was getting me anywhere. I got out a crappy (but flat) $6 stone I had bought a while ago. I dont know the grit, but they are probably in the ballpark of 200-300 (combo stone). I must have spent a good hour WITH pressure. back and forth, back and forth. It is cutting arm hair well now, there is not a burr or wire-edge, and while the blade is not smooth, it is ALOT sharper than it was.
I was kind of scared to do this.. I guess I had it in my head that less strokes were optimal, and that a razor should hone in a few light passes, and if you had to do 500 strokes with pressure on a 200 grit stone, you would mess it up.... but it seems to be working as it is alot sharper now than it was... I guess I will just need to spend more time on the 4k now to smooth the bevel out.
I guess this is how I learn. I have just had to be more "rough" on it than I thought you were supposed to be... but results are results, and the only "right" was to hone is any way that ends in a sharp, smooth blade.
.......this is the impression I am left with anyway.