Don't think much of anything gets shinier than an 8k DMT polish... but you don't wanna shave off it.
Also, steel grade is gonna impact results, so results on mild steel wont be the same as on razor-grade steel.
Edge geometry @ 200x+ is a pretty useful indicator of a stones quality in my experience; but not absolute (8k DMT a good indicator of this, or 1200 DMT for that matter... bullet-path straight edges, but too fat to shave with)... and scratch pattern is basically worthless as an indicator. Absolute trash slates can leave a really clean scratch pattern; but annihilate the edge. Ultra hard/slow stones like agates can do this too. Brilliant mirror shine, but so slow the edge takes a beating from the act of honing and degrades even as the bevel gets shined up like crazy.
Also, steel grade is gonna impact results, so results on mild steel wont be the same as on razor-grade steel.
Edge geometry @ 200x+ is a pretty useful indicator of a stones quality in my experience; but not absolute (8k DMT a good indicator of this, or 1200 DMT for that matter... bullet-path straight edges, but too fat to shave with)... and scratch pattern is basically worthless as an indicator. Absolute trash slates can leave a really clean scratch pattern; but annihilate the edge. Ultra hard/slow stones like agates can do this too. Brilliant mirror shine, but so slow the edge takes a beating from the act of honing and degrades even as the bevel gets shined up like crazy.