IMO ... water stones, diamond stones, Arkansas stones, scary sharp ... they're all just abrasives and up to a point they all do the same thing ... which is remove metal ... and if ya use 'em right they're all good. I think the trick is what ya do to get that last little bit out of your edge. That's why I power strop. IMO a woodworker needs a quick way to touch up the edge while he works without resorting to fiddling with jigs, bevel angles and such. For me power stropping is it.

Ken Blanton

: In my opinion the waterstones cut MUCH better and put a much finer
: edge than scary sharp, but they are a bit messier and as someone
: replied earlier, you have to always dress the stones to keep
: them flat.