Quote Originally Posted by Vasilis View Post
A less sharp object is not dull. And, I'm not sure if (for society?) sharp means honed to a fine grit, or a very thin bevel. You can touch a convex edge that feels dull, but it could very well shave like the finest razor, under conditions. And you can touch a knife with thin bevel, finished on 200 grit and say "wow that's sharp".
And, the whole "grit" thing, it is annoying. It's the particle size and shape that make something sharp, not the number of digits behind the word "grit". The 1 micron for Norton company is somewhere between 18 and 25k grit (anyone who knows, please specify), but for most Japanese companies, it's just 10k. That means, the Norton 8k has particles in the size of a 3-5k Japan made stone. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to compare an 8k Japanese stone with the Norton, to come to a conclusion.
I would suggest the use of the micron system to grade the stones, but then, we would need a way to compare the shape of the cutting particles, since ball shaped 10 micron particles would cut finer than 3 micron pyramid shaped particles. All this, to find a reliable method of comparing the cutting and polishing results of stones. Thinking about is PITA. Thinking in general is PITA. Living is a PITA. I should have been born an razor. Made from Wootz steel with fancy scales.
beauty is in the eye of the beholder - same goes for sharpness