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About how long did it take for the 1200 to wear to its present state?

The reference side is essentially a #600 grit diamond sharpening stone that can be used to flatten out a blade. Harrelson suggests using it in conjunction with the 1K stone for checking progress...

I'm of the mind that using Diamonds plates/stones for sharpening at the higher levels is a bit overkill for a razor, and that "normal" stones are better suited once a bevel has been established.
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Even diamonds wear down, eventually.

I read somewhere (either on this forum or the knife forums) that the diamonds were embedded/secured to the plates with only about 1/3 of the material sticking...