I’m late to the thread but I’ll comment that some blades just do not seem to raise a burr very well at all. I’ve probably done about 100 blades so far since I received my WEPS in November. All different types, all different qualities. Mostly kitchen knives but also some Benchmade, ESEE, CRKT, etc.
I’ve noticed that some steel is extremely soft, yet somehow brittle or flaky. Perhaps just weak or not properly heat treated. While one would think that it would be easy to get the burr with a soft steel, it seems to flake off. On a couple of blades I’ve looked at my Sharpie marks with a 10X loupe and clearly I’m on the edge, but can’t raise a burr I can feel. I’ve tried swiping the stones with a lot of force as well as very light force and everything in between, but no burr or at least no uniform burr. Those edges also tend to chip when I get to the edge, it seems.
Anyway, don’t give up on the burr, you can get there on _almost_ all blades.
