I hear that the Chinese stone cuts very slow. The reason I have been looking for a finishing stone was to possible look for alternatives for the 1 micron paste. Not that the paste is bad and its great in a pinch for touch ups but I believe that I could develop a stronger, longer lasting bevel if I can hone with stones with a higher micron and grit than to strop with a paste of the same micron particle size. Finding that right stone has been a bit of a hassle. Most of your natural stones are not consistant in grit. I almost bought the Shapton 15k but when I went to visit some of the woodworker forums the guys over there complain about how fast the Shapton loads. Many of them try to flatten them with sand paper or with other lower grit water stones and report that the Shapton 15k is easily contaminated by the other stone. Point is their stones work best with their lapping system for the long haul. Whether you go with the Shapton system or the Belgium yellow or Eshers or Japanese naturals I think they are all going to run bucks. If I'm wrong about any of this I'm sure someone will let me know.