I've been agreeing with you alot tonight Phil!
I recently gave a co-worker a knife I had sharpened to a polished edge with a tiny micro bevel at 1000, since it was mainly for show, but I wanted him to be able to use it if he needed to. I don't know what or how he was "feeling" it for sharpness, but evidently it didn't feel sharp to him. He took a stone to it at home and when he came back with what he thought was sharp, I had to be very diplomatic in my explanation of how it wasn't. the edge was rolled in both directions on different parts of the blade complete with a huge burr that rolled from side to side as you checked down the length. True, it was a toothy edge! Once I explained, tactfully, that the edge might feel sharp but that it really was only a wire edge and wont last long, used one of my own knives to compare the 2 edges as a demonstration, he asked if I could fix it. I did and just took it to 1000. Now since I had explained the mechanics, when I handed him the knife, he asked why I hadn't polished it again. So I ended up taking it all the way through the ceramics and up to .5 strops then put a microbevel on it with the 1000's for just a little tooth, just the way it was when I started. He ended up being very happy and is now one more person that understands how factory edges are not always the best or even good sometimes. As I'm sure most if not everyone here has seen, some factory edges are atrocious...