Edge Pro Matrix 250, how low of a BESS score can it sharpen?

I spent 3 days down the rabbit hole and one of the good surprises was how sharp I could get a knife with just the Matrix 250 and a leather strop to deburr. I think the steel is 14C28N, it was given to me so I don't know for sure. I measured 3 spots on the blade and they were 99, 85, 102. The angle was 24 degrees included.
For bench stone versions of the Matrix stones please visit my website at cgsw.us
Resin bond diamond knife sharpening stones guided knife sharpener

[@kennymanchester]

Great stuff, as usual. I tell people over and over, til I'm blue in the face, that the first coarse stone should be really sharp, sharp enough to deburr and stop there for many purposes. I suspect that many a blade apex has been ruined by overworking the finishing / refining stages. What a shame. Anyway, I have a full set of the Matrix stones and I love them on my EP. Keep em comming! Kenny

[@trumanhw]

I just got into this hobby & got my first decent stones today (Shapton Pro in 320, 1k, 2k, 5k). Am I wrong in thinking it's freaking amazing his stones (Diamond Matrix) REMOVE the burr with the leading? strokes? (whatever you call the direction he goes in). I'm assuming it's unique to Diamond Matrix stones? Awesome. Had I not just bought the Shapton Pros I'd've gotten these, but I JUST learned of Diamond Matrix literally today. 😢 I also don't do a set number of strokes per side. Not sure if that's meant as marketing ... eg, to communicate to businesses how efficient the stones are, but my goal is getting each prior grit's scratches out. Thinking It's easiest to remove the 80 µm scratches with 40 µm grit, & will be needlessly hard to remove 80 µm I miss with 20 µm. I try extracting all the sharpening & polishing a grit yield before moving up. Removed all subsequent scratches, making it as reflective as possible, flip the burr, and finally removing it on the last stone.

[@CGSW]

The small burr size is not unique to my stones but the sharp diamonds do help a lot. I find using lower pressure helps as does keeping your stones in good shape by proper use and dressing. If your new to sharpening then I think you made a good choice with your stones as my stones are a bit fussier in how they are used and maintained. If you haven't dressed your stones yet I highly recommend getting some loose abrasives and a flat plate and learning how, it isn't just for flattening. It can really change how well your stones cut when you clean them up and expose fresh abrasive. I like light pressure to avoid breaking my stones down, whether sharpening stones or grinding wheels, so I need to dress them to keep them from glazing up. If you do it this way you won't wear them any faster and I think they will put a better edge on your knife. I count my strokes so I don't use too many and am consistent side to side. I really think most of us too many passes, I know I did, which is all I am trying to show. I think removing the burr is about the most dangerous thing we do to the apex as that last few thousands of the blade is pretty fragile when we are done sharpening. The idea of braking it off or folding it back over the apex I think is wrong. I think it is best to wear it off with a strop and proper abrasive, it certainly is safer for the edge. Of course I don't say this works in all cases, it depends on your abrasives, the edge you want, and the steel you are working with.

[@trumanhw]

@@CGSW Very generous of you to provide such a detailed reply: I had also bought a Suehiro Diamond plate Combo dressing // Lapping stone (grits 150 / 500) ... but when I lap I notice there isn't much change in texture, just evens it out a bit. But as you mentioned ... I'm thinking I'll need more experience to develop the feel for what my goal is and when it feels right. Good point about lower pressure (another guy (Rob Cosman) focused on chisels said he believes // thinks of lower pressure as being like a slightly finer grit). I have experimented with it on my 5k ... but I think with time I'll develop a better and more pronounced algorithm. Likewise of tracking my strokes ... as you rightfully mention it'll help with symmetry. A the burr. Mr.Wizard gave me some reading and it's incredible how deep this subject goes. For whatever reason ... I've been pretty lucky so far and haven't had much difficulty with burr removal. Which probably means I'm doing something else wrong; eg., removing it in a way that dulls the edge while removing the burr ... costing me sharpness without my realizing it. After all; I'm a complete novice and you've undoubtedly forgotten more than I'll ever know. And I'm sure that's not hyperbole. It's certainly true for me with pool // billiards ... and only through my pursuit of excellence in that, do I realize how amazing humans become at those things which capture their heart and attention. Again, thank you very, very much for your feedback. If I stay with this hobby I'll definitely try out your products one day. Hopefully we'll even get to speak on the phone! Thank you again.

[@barkingspider2007]

Nice work! I would like to see just how sharp your Spyderco in Maxamet would test? The geometry of the blade has a lot to do with the sharpness that can be achieved. Thinner behind the edge = lower test score. Thanks for the video.

[@CGSW]

The best I have seen with the 250 on Maxamet so far is BESS 160, but I didn't try too hard. That was at 30 degrees included.

[@John-xw3lr]

Thank you for the great content. What kind of sharpener are you using?

[@CGSW]

I made it about 5 years ago.

[@wadeworkman7142]

Are your 4 inch stones long enough for the edge pro apex 1? I know 6 inch stones would be faster, but they are 3 times as expensive. Lol

[@CGSW]

You could put a 2" spacer between the knob and stone holder but the 4" stone would not fit in the dovetail because of the block above it that runs into your edge if youre stroke is too long. Since I can't compete with EdgePro I never meant my stones to work with guided systems.