As for the cautions with too sharp a blade, I have found that to be an oxymoron. It's like "too much beer". For me, at least, the sharper the better. My normal honing routine progresses thusly...Norton 4k, Belgian blue, Norton 8k, Belgian yellow coticule, Shapton 15k pro, .25 micron pasted paddle strop, smooth russian leather hanger. The starting point depends on how far gone the edge is. I haven't noticed any increased tendency for the edge to catch on anything, but I do stretch. I have a few moles that are not flush with the surrounding skin, and with careful stretching, my blades don't even snag on them. I have tried stopping both after the coticule and stopping after the 15k. There is an improvement after the coticule in using the 15k, but the improvement is negligible with the .25 paste over the 15k. I normally hit the .25 for about 30-40 round trips, maybe 50-60 for a stainless blade. I *think* that's enough... I still do the .25 normally, but if I didn't, I'd still be alright. I figure I might as well, since I have the equipment.

Jeff