First let me thank you gentlemen again for welcoming me to the site so warmly!!
Have a question to throw up but first a little backround to help reduce variables in this equation.... I absolutely hunt down the worst cases of neglected stepchild razors from wherever I can find them solely because I love to sit down at the table with a light and about a dozen stones and just simply become "unavailable" to the rest of the world!! My wife says my meticulous nature borders on high functioning autism... I have been collecting homes for a few years and probably have a half ton of them between the shop, the bathroom, the truck, wife's bathroom, under the kids beds, and storage... drives the wife batty!! I have yet to find a razor that I couldn't get to scare a hanging hair in two pieces at the sight of it!
My question, more my conundrum, is to all the masters out there.... I am above all patient and light handed but as of yet, cannot get the finish everyone talks about from nakiyama or other higher end j-nats that I can from let's say a naniwa 12k or shapton glass.... really into old school methodology, but have the old ways given way to superior "manufactured" stones?? At the 6-8k level I'd much rather a coticule than a newer stone, but when finishing, I get them to a sweet shaving state on the j-nats and always find myself going to a man made after I check the bevel under magnification.... just seems a little "matte" after the naturals and mirror smooth after the MM stones.... is this normal?? Am I being too OCD about the finish?? Any input from you gentlemen would be highly appreciated!!!