Long story short - I am buying oil stones, not looking for a debate on waterstones, diamond plates, sand paper, or anything else.
I sharpen a lot of O1 and quite a bit of PM-V11 with a smattering of A2 in there. Also have several D2 pig stickers.
What I'm looking for is opinions on which stones to purchase. Whats necessary 3 stones? 4? Soft Arkansas, Hard Arkansas, True Hard Arkansas, Translucent, Black? I understand they're graded based on density and the harder they are the finer the cut - what I'm struggling with is what the equivalent would be in terms of grit or micron ratings if they were man-made stones.
What brands have you had good luck with in terms of both quality and performance? I've run across Dan's, Natural Whetstone Company, and Best branded in my research so far.
Would you recommend a diamond plate for dressing/flattening? If so which? 140x Atoma or 400? Something else?
Any other pertinent gems you'd like to share.