I have a three hone starting set from Tilly (great service btw, very nice lady). Being still a mere beginner, I find that I have troubles with the Lithide hone (the finest) and I seem to dull my razors instead of sharpening. On the other hand, the Gem is a very sweet hone to work with and gives me incredibly sharp blades that are a dream to shave with.

Should I even try to master the Lithide ? I'm pretty happy with my Gem, but it makes me think that I may be missing something. The feel of the Lithide is so extremely smooth that I think I just lose control of the blade. Did I go over the top when lapping ?