I purchased a black ark that is convex. I have enough stones to make a patio. As a former engineer, I researched the convex production methods and decided to try the convex stone to finish a razor. After trial and error, I noticed better results using the convex stone. I ordered the concave plate and made my ILR stone convex. I took a razor and honed it on the IPL then the Black Ark. Edge was good but I felt it could be better. I remembered Murray Carter using a spine first technique so I tried it. Made a real difference. Razors are now excellent shavers. Recently I posted a convex strop I made that was the icing on the cake. I respect different opinions but before you draw a conclusion, try a razor that has been honed with convex stones.
