Previous to getting my Chinese 12k from Chris L, I had been going right from my DMT 8EE to 1.0, .5, .25 diamond pastes. I thought that the reason for my harsh edges had been the .25 diamond paste. Not so. I took a blade from dull all the way through my progression yesterday: DMT 8E, 8EE, 1.0, .5, .25, then 100 laps on a strop. I took another blade, and did the same progression, except I threw in 25 laps on the Chinese 12k with slurry, then 25 laps without slurry.

I examined both blades under the microscope before and after.

The one where I did not do the 12k Chinese stone still showed significant scratch marks left from the DMT 8EE. I don't think *any* amount of work on the diamond pastes would have gotten rid of them. No wonder it felt so harsh.

The blade that I did the 50 laps on the Chinese 12k showed zero scratch marks left, and was highly polished.

Moral of the story: If you're using a DMT 8EE as your 8k stone, you will definitely benefit from using a higher grit stone afterward; it's probably not going to go well if you go straight from the DMT to diamond paste.

That thirty bucks I spent on the Chinese 12k has been the best investment I've made in honing materials yet.