Ummm. The OP has been a member for quite a while, he is not a particularly active member, but has been at this for a while. I would think that by this time he has already figured how to shave and is getting very good performance out of his 8K. So it is likely that he has already learned to max that. I think the time to move up is likely now or never. Some like the feel of a synthetic edge while others like the feel of a natural edge. If you can get t o a meet they are great places to learn about the other edges and experiment with those who already know the hones well. Otherwise try some different edges. Also you can buy a new hone every year until you find exactly what you want.