Since we're starting much of this over, I thought it would be nice to have one single place to go where the properties of hones can be listed, compared, and rated.
This includes the synthetic hones like Norton, Spyderco, Kitayama etc...
and the natural hones coticle, transparent arkansas, etc...

including prices, and places where you can get them...

Now I don't have, or use every stone out there, so Instead of giving you information I don't have I'm creating a rating system that will give a baseline.

First is grit using Norton as a baseline, with a grit/cutting speed reference
below 1000 = razor killer
1000 = coarse/ ultra fast
4000 = medium/fast
8000 = fine/fast
above 8000 = finishing or polishing

so when rating my Kitayama 12000 grit stone I could simply list it as

(Kitayama 12k finishing/fast)

The next thing is price range
dollar signs would be appropriate here, (and hopefully one of our european mambers can give an appropriate exchange for us)

$ = $0.01 - $40
$$ = $41 - $80
$$$ = $81 - $120
$$$$ = $121 and up


Norton 4k a medium grit fast cutting relatively inexpensive hone could be listed as

Norton 4k -medium/fast $$
Belgian Blue coticle - medium/slow/$$$


What do you guys think, is this going to work?