In your case, I'm inclined to suggest that you stick with the Chosera 5K/0K because you already have some Choseras, and plan to "jump" to 1K film and then finish with.25 micron with strops. 10K is 1.75 micron so it makes a nice stone transition over the leather strop. the 5K/10K combo also makes the edge amazingly shiny, and you can go straight to the .25 micron strop if you want.

The 5K Shapton won't shine as mirror like as the Chosera, but it is better prepared for a larger jump straight to the 1 micron film.

The major differences between the Shaptons and Choseras is their "sharpening philosophy" - Shaptons use precision to create consistent scratches without polish while Choseras use polishing to compliment their scratches. It's Function vs. Aesthetic - Shaptons strive for function, and lose some aesthetic, while Choseras strive for Aesthetic and lose some function - relatively speaking - neither series comes up short in any category.

You'll be able to see it more clearly when I post the comparison microscope pictures.



I believe Wicked Edge uses 3M double sided tape to mount them to the paddles. I used the double sided tape on all mine, and have no issues whatsoever, even with water.

It's a cliff hanger, I know! I've got a couple of things on my plate keeping me from writing up the blogs at the moment - I've got a new website that we're trying to launch on Friday!

That answer is "it depends". The smoother the edge of the edge becomes, the less aggressive it is for tearing, and it slices more. Good for shaving and unzipping hides, but due to the relative thinness of the edge of the edge, it can easily loose that freshness, much like a newly sharpened pencil. Geometry is used to support the edge of the edge. But ultimately, the point of the edge is still approaching 0 width no matter what the angle.

Conversely, a less refined edge has larger serrations in the edge (more refined still has serrations, just a lot of very small ones), and that helps for sawing and ripping power, although the coarser the serrations, the more likely they are to break off during use. Butchers like rougher edges in general since they are more concerned with removing the meat from the bone aggressively rather than making a beautifully presented slice cut.

Anyway, all of this will be explained in due time with the pictures



Again, it boils down to Aesthetic vs. Function, and are two different philosophies in sharpening. I prefer the function over the aesthetic in general, but lots of other guys prefer aesthetic over the functional. The Shapton and Chosera 2K stones leave a very similar scratch pattern, but their resulting edges are tangibly different.