Brooksie,

Judging from the photo, I would hazard a guess that the Swaty has been lapped. In all likelihood it was as smooth as the Amagamit before lapping.

and, steady use will make it so again! Read up on barber hones, I know there were threads around here someplace that discussed refreshing the surface on them.
I use them in the bathroom, for a quick touch up if a razor starts to feel off in the middle of a shave. A choice between a finish on a barber stone and a nice thurry stone is no contest. But I will admit you can get a fine shave off them after an 8K and my nicest stones can rival the Nani12k