Anyone that suggests they do not have the freckling problem with steel wool has never looked. Friable abrasives fall apart, period. Steel is harder than plastic and breaks with sharp edges. Those sharp edges get caught in the plastic (used as an adjective) finish which has been heated at the extremely local level by friction. That makes the finish gummy.
When those steel particles rust, and they will, they produce opaque freckles visible to 10x easily. Identical pieces side-by-side finished exactly the same with only the steel wool difference show it every time. No one would pick the freckled side, ever.
To suggest it is ignorance is fine unless it has been laid out cleanly and directly and you continue to argue the point without looking.
Just like thinning finish to increase penetration. I have the benefit of not having to guess...
art
