In my view ,,,Rods, stones, strops loaded or unloaded are all abrasive devices to remove steel ( edge leading/ cutting into abrasive) or to uncurl them ( spine leading ).
I prefer the edge leading as it wld hopefully break the curl and the subsequent strokes wld further refine the edge and achieve the ultimate apex possible under that given grit..... so I hope.
Spine leading .. if you do it at a higher angle, hopefully it breaks off the curl and then you chase for the apex. If it does not break.. then you have a weak edge that will curl again on contact with the cutting board.
Rods..
a)Its the grit that matters... It all depends on how much steel that needs to be removed to achieve the ultimate apex.. Not ashamed to say... that i use a medium rod ard 800 grit even on my single bevel honyaki... The trick is Pressure. The pressure is all focused on the small contact area and thus amplified..
b)Controlling pressure is the Key...
rgds z