Sorry was typing on a mobile at the time. I meant the Gokumyo 20k.
I should clarify I'm not insulting the testers findings, instead I'm only pointing out that posts about the stone raise the desirability of the stone as well and with such the price. I'm not saying it does or does not work well simply because I've never personally used it. Frankly there is no measurable way to compare stones outside of subjective opinions of those using them. Many folks feel the Escher (thuringian) hones provide the best shave while others will swear by a maxed out JNAT that some claim can get edges in the 30k range. Unfortunately there is no way to measure this.
I personally doubt a stone that is man made from 1905 could provide edges equal to that of a stone manufactured today. It may very well polish the blade but a mirror finish on an edge doesn't always equal quality shaves. I don't think looking down a microscope to look at an edge tells the whole story. One would think that if the stone was of such high quality that it would be in mass availability and have it's popularity at the time through the roof. The Swaty sure was.
I never insinuated that he purposely did a positive review to raise the price. I'm simply saying that people will read that review and it will by effect drive the price up. Many factors go into quality honing besides simply pushing the edge to mirror finish. Frankly i think the person honing has more effect on the shave than the stone itself. Some people can push excellent edges from Coticules that people will swear by. Again it's all subjective.