I have one of the Bull Thistle scythe stones and have mostly used it for my wife's kitchen knives and it quickly makes a razor edge on a badly cared for knife. By razor edge, I mean hair grabbing. I was surprised that such a coarse stone could produce such a toothy yet shaving edge. I used an Izula on a job that left the edge dulled with several areas where light reflected on the cutting edge. Remembering how the Bull Thistle worked on kitchen knives I used it on the Izula to work down the edge to prep it for finishing on finer stones. Before I knew it there was no need for a finer stone because it suddenly had a grippy shaving edge. I think this stone is just the thing for 1095, 440 and similar steels. I mostly used a coarse diamond stone for these as I don't fell much use for a more refined edge. The Bull Thistle gives a shaving edge quicker while having the ability to regain or change the edge angle easily.