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True enough, that the 'fins' would be running tha same direction on both sides with a 45 degree honing angle. BUT - this is where the 'grit' size comes in! There will be microscopic - REALLY...

Hmm... a subject of some debate. Old Barbers used the small hones, and the claim (according to some barbering texts) was that the "X" pattern created opposing "fins", which in turn were responsible...