Given that two "fine" finishes may not mean the same thing to different people the following chart was designed to assist knife owners in identifying 10 grit levels that will help them achieve their edge-sharpening goals.  Realistically speaking 90% of knife owners that want a high-quality “above average” factory edge only needs to use level 5 and level 7 stones.  Stones below level 5 are primarily used to repair heavily damaged knife edges by removing lots of metal.  Stones above level 7 are used to achieve knife edges that are extremely fine and polished but provide the user with minimal improved sharpening benefits.