using a strop after honing will usually remove burrs. however after the strop i usually go back & put a microbevel of 320, 600 or medium diamond. anyone trying to fillet fish will find a real polished edge is hard to get started thru fish scales.i tried to whittle a piece of dry bois d'arc [osage orange] with a mirror polished edge [6000 grit] & it slid. went home & put a microbevel with fine diamonds & it cut the same stick easily. a real polished edge will probably hold up longer but it is harder to start the cuts on most animals or other materials. cranky72
This is true. Even if you go down a 1000 grit, which is a pretty good polish, then put a little bevel on it with a 1200 grit ceramic, it will slice just about anything.
Although...I sharpened a couple japanese knives the last week for a chef, and polished them down to 3000 grit tape, adn could literally slice a Roma tomato paper thin, transparent, and even cut the seeds. It was a beautiful thing. downside...Chef asked me where to buy the edgepro
Point is, just like cranky72 said, you have to have a little serration, that is what it is, really, really small serration.
Larry