Quote Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD View Post
Not for the OP but in general if you aren't going to do a lot of honing I guess a pre-lapped hone is fine. OTOH, it is nice to have your own system whether it be plate or sandpaper and get the hang of using it. The day will come when you will have to flatten your hones and if you do a lot of honing it will come sooner then later.

I agree but the stone I received was VERY unlevel and since the only paper I had handy was 400 grit it took me the better part of an afternoon to get it lapped properly. Since the price of a prelapped stone is about the same as a few sheets of sandpaper AND the fact the Shapton is so hard it will probably never need to be lapped again I would have gladly paid the $5...and now that it's level the next time should only take 15 minutes instead of several hours.