I learned a lot from the Bismarck. To summarize most of what I said in my sharpening video, I think that the razor apex does not fare well on impact with embedded abrasive particles in whetstones, but is formed more cleanly when abrasive slurry is used as a cushion, and when torque towards the apex is kept light when using leading edge strokes. I came to this conclusion after successfully honing my Bismarck on softer synthetic stones (6K Suehiro Cerax, 8K Naniwa Snow White, 12K Naniwa Superstone) using primarily trailing edge strokes.
I learned a lot from the Bismarck. To summarize most of what I said in my sharpening video, I think that the razor apex does not fare well on impact with embedded abrasive particles in whetstones, but is formed more cleanly when abrasive slurry is used as a cushion, and when torque towards the apex is kept light when using leading edge strokes. I came to this conclusion after successfully honing my Bismarck on softer synthetic stones (6K Suehiro Cerax, 8K Naniwa Snow White, 12K Naniwa Superstone) using primarily trailing edge strokes.