I have heard various opinions about lapping and not lapping. I like to know mine a flat, and I am anal, so I lap the backs of mine and leave the front in original condition. Some can be hell to lap others aren't so bad. It usually takes a while even with a DMT8c. And as far as polishing, I have a 8x2 slab of BBW that I like to run over all my stones after lapping to help smooth them out a little.