If you want to judge what you like before you start honing, try a feather de blade. If you like it, great, I dont and never really did, too harsh and too many weepers. Its an easy way to see before you go on a quest for the sharpest meanest edge you can find. When I used DEs I liked wilkinson swords that are much mellower and BTW still not smooth enough for me. YMMV as always.