I don't want to kick a hornet's nest, so please forgive me .........
I know some have displayed an unhappiness about the granularity of the DMT Extra Extra Fine diamond plate. Everyone has their preferences and I don't want arguments. That's not my question.
When I sharpen going through the gradients to the above plate, then using a leather strop charged with green Chromium Oxide, I still have minute scratches on the face of the blade, whether chisel or plane. The back is flattened.
I use PMV-11 blades in my newer planes; regular bevel down blades in the Baileys, and I've no idea on the chisels.
My question is, how much is my smoothing, cutting, chopping, etc. is degraded by the remaining noticeable scratches on the mating surfaces of my irons?