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I don't know if it is harder, that would depend on the heat treatment and tempering, but I do know that it is abrasion resistant. It also tends to gall when machined if tool bits aren't really sharp....

If you go to the Shapton USA website and look at the FAQ it says that the Shapton 12K professional is especially for stainless steel. Oddly enough they don't carry the 12k. Japan Woodworker does...