I have been sharpening knives for as long as I have been carrying them around (30 years now). I have used everything from India stones to Diamond grit to Ark stones. The natural progression to hone my own razors was imminent. I have several Ark stones I use for bevel setting and final finish. They WORK! Will there be people out there who say they don't? Yup, there sure will be. Facts a fact though. They work well. I actually have experimented with raising a slurry with a Diamond block on one of my Ark stones and then honing. Cuts very even and nicely. I then go to a Fine Ark (not sure what grit, but it reflects light with little porosity) with water and hone till the stone dries out. I then re-wet and run dry a couple times and then observe all the work under a 100X Mini Microscope. When all looks good, I go to pasted strop for about 60-70 laps and then off to plain leather for about 130 laps. Hair will then "ping" off the edge with little effort for the HHT. The shaves are quite nice as well. The hair "rolls" off my face and leaves a wonderful, smooth, irritation-free shave. They work.