Arkansas Sharpening Stone Set Mounted: Optimal Edge Sharpening Solution Review

I'm not new to sharpening, but I have a new custom damascus knife that hasn't been fully sharpened. Hardness 56-58. The seller said I could return it, but it's a good knife, and decided I'd finish it myself. I didn't have a rough stone so I ordered an expensive 2 grit water stone and tried it out. Didn't work so I got another finer grit and still no. I was very annoyed at this point, so I looked what I know. Natural Arkansas Stones with Oil. That's enough for 20 minutes of work, so 5 stars…

Maybe it's just this set but I don't like it because - the black stone should be almost smooth, like glass to the touch - it's a whetstone but not surgical black - it's should be used for sharpening after the blade is already sharp - it's nowhere near anything like some of the true black or translucent stones from Smith or Dan - soft and medium are almost identical - different colors yes but the actual grain difference is not detectable. That's why they're so cheap. If you want softness…

While I like the fact that they come pre-mounted on blocks of wood, I would appreciate the overall quality of the stones. must be middle class. As a product of natural mining, each stone should be expected to have some variation in texture and hardness. However, with the kit I received, I question the quality control/standards. First, a soft rock was called hard and a hard one was called soft (yes, I understand you can't judge by color alone; I could tell by the texture and scratch pattern on…