Daniel
Sharpness is a relative notion, and if I may be so bold, the degree of sharpness can beyond a certain point be both relative and redundent. Relative as to what type of beard that is being shaven, and redundent as to how much sharper does the blade need to be beyond that which is established (for that particular beard) as to be sharp enough.
The granular structure of steels vary from one blade to another even within one maker or makers line, and there is a limit as to maximum degree of sharpness that a blade will accept while still maintaining a degree of structural integrity. If you go beyond that limit the blades edge breaks down prematurely through normal use, thereby making the blade redundent or useless until it is rehoned.
A lot of us here are hobbiest honers, serious shavers indeed but hone as a hobby. Got the itch to hone, try out a new hone, hone while my wife is at work, etc. How many here rehone a blade after just 2 or 3 shaves? A touch up with a diamond spray is considered a honing, a touch up with a barbers old style or a natural Ark or Jnat is considered a honing. Stropping with a charged linen or leather strop is honing if an abrasive was intended and added on to the strop in order to improve the edge.
How long and for how many shaves should an edge hold up? If it is less than 20 than I would say that the edge is being over honed and is too thin at the edge if it breaks down that quickly. Here is where the craft comes in, with the user crafting an edge that suits the beard and the steel by using the abrasives with skill and forethought. If you were a professional barber 50 or 100 years ago you would probably open your shop each morning with at least 2 razors fully honed. Imagine shaving 30 or 40 dirty off the dusty street faces each day, your edges better be holding up for you to get and maintain repeat business. With that traffic you surely do not have time off to sit down for 45 minutes to rehone a razor with customers waiting. As a hobbist we can afford to indulge ourselves in weak edges, but are we all not looking for that Barber Type Shave, which are by definition edges that are not only sharp enough but hold up well from day to day.
My beef here is that a product is being sold as an idea and touted as a proven and accepted idea. A shiny and bright blade is sharper indeed, but at what cost. A high polished blade is sharper, but for how long. And how sharp does a blade need to be beyond a certain point without bragging rights snuggling in somehow and taking over the conversation.
For how long an edge holds up when honed by a hobbist is a personal choice and to each his own, but for trends to be promoted in such a rigid direction is in my opinion stunting the development of the creative use and developments of edges that are appropriate for the particular use at hand.
The craft topic, the manual labor, the do it yourself at home, the skill topic here is creating the balance between how sharp and for how long. If bright or chrome or matte or sandblasted finishes work, whatever the preference. My personal goal is not the apparently perfect sterile factory finishes that pastes or sprays provide, those are too perfect and too easy to buy out of a bottle. I long for the inventiveness that natural stones demand, the all important failures followed by the joyous succsses.
The beauty of natural stones is that they themselves are just imperfect enough to demand the burden upon us to be more perfect in learning to use them. Alx