I noticed it's a bit pricier too. King is sort of an outlier, but also proof that decent hones can be had for not a lot of money. As for the Steelex, I still can't say it's good or bad. I see reviews that are red flags to me, but at the same time online reviews are to be taken with a grain of salt. I've seen people reviewing things negatively that they clearly did not know how to operate or didn't understand. One of the negative reviews I read about the Steelex literally was a complaint that they expected 4 separate items and not a single 1000/6000 grit combination sharpening stone. They got what they ordered, and it functioned fine for their purpose, but there was one item not four and they felt jipped because words am hard. I can only imagine how many of those broken hones weren't broken until they were dropped, left out in the sun, near a camp fire, etc. Or how many of the stones that allowed large particles to be lifted up only did so because someone with a heavy hand was really going at it with a knife and tore the stone up.

So it may well work, and work well. Like the saying goes, "Don't knock it til you've tried it."