Hi everyone, I've been honing for years mostly on coticules (plus DMTs for heavy bevel work, and an escher and/or crox for finishing), but am thinking now of getting a synthetic rig to speed things up, now that the house is full of kids and I rarely have time alone to hone in peace...

Any thoughts on the Norton 4/8 vs. the Naniwa 3/8? I'd love to hear from the super-experienced guys like Lynn and Glen, but also more general impressions from anyone who knows these stones well.

In particular, I'm curious about:

(1) is the Naniwa 8K is as fine as the Norton 8K (I read all the time about guys shaving off the Norton 8K, but rarely do I hear about shaving off the Naniwa 8K — everyone always seems to go on to the 12K....)

(2) are pyramids recommended for the Naniwa? Do you have to watch out for a wire edge on the Naniwa like you do on the Norton?

(3) Is the Naniwa 3K as fast as the Norton 4K? Back when I joined SRP guys were setting bevels on Norton 4Ks all the time (usually but not always with a nagura). Is this just as easy and satisfactory on the Naniwa 3K?

Thanks a lot in advance, guys.