Sorry for my nonreactivity during the last two days, but first it was weekend and second I feel that my English is quite poor to express precisely everything that what I would exactly like to express...it costs a lot of time and energy, particularly because it seems to me that my primary intention and point is still misinterpreted by some of you, although I and Matus as well have already made several attempts to clarify things...First, I didn't expect that such a rather passionate discussion will develop from the quite harmless original post...but I still like that almost all of the contributions were "on topic", in the sense it was inteded by me originally - i.e. a more generall discussion about the flattness of naturals, in that sense I am really happy that there was such a feedback and probably it was useful not only for me but for some other people as well, in terms of what they can/should expect when buying a natural stone, even en expensive one...That is the results which is REALLY important for me!
And as regards the rest - the title problem, raised by Daveb - although I intended the thread to become a more general discussion and it also evolved in that direction finally, what is good, I don't think its necesarry to change the title, I still believe that a mention that I got some naturals from Maxim is nothing but a pure fact, no dehonestation or something like this and I also repeatedly expressed that my intention was not detract Maxim...But I can hardly do anything with the fact that some people still see a little bit "red" when a name of a vendor here is mentioned here even in the slightest negative way...This sometimes almost "blind" tendency here to protect vendors and to treat them almost like they would be untouchable gods is by the way maybe the only thing that I dislike on KKF...I have currently found a nice new German knife forum and one particular thing which I liked there was the absence of this "blind" belief to anybody - Germans are generally very thorough people who pay attention to every detail and when having a problem, they usually go up to the core of it; which makes them generally very critical...I lived in Germany for a year and still have lively contacts to some people there due to my work...and I had to prepare REALLY well every time I did something for them, no shallowness would be tolerated...They have no exaggerative respect against "capaties" which is great!
Back to the topic - if you, Daveb, feel, the title should better be changed anyway, then do it, I won't have any problem with it...
What I liked for instance, was the post of jmgray:"I think that every time some one has a bad review of one of the vendors here people try to protect them. We are all aldults and can figure out from reading that it isn't just Maxim's stones. But it seems like don't say anything negative about vendors the vendors." - particularly the sentence "We are all adults and can figure out from reading that it isn't just Maxim's stones" - everybody who has read the thread at least a bit thoroughly, had the opportunity to build a critical opinion about that what was said...And although I understand also the point of for instance Pensacola Tiger (post. Nr. 36) and his example with the Shuns, his mention that "Remember that we are dealing with a person's livelihood here" seems to be exaggerated to me - the hypothetical expactation that threads like this could threaten Maxim's livelihood seriously, given that people have read the thread at least a bit, really doesn't seem to be probable to me
..as jmgray said, we are adult and reasonable people which are able to build their opinions...Think first, then act...I also don't eat in McDonald only because I see a billboard on every corner how great it purportedly is...I also critically think about it first and then decide what I will do, that I will not do so...That's just a parallel to the Shun example...And if people don't use their brains actively although they have them and only passively copy what they have seen or heard around...that's sad but its hard to help them...
Finally, I can only sign the contribution of malexthekid: "Also I think if it is what the majority feel is fare constructive criticism then we here are happy to have it voiced. If it isn't then don't get defensive if we say we disagree and maybe you shouldn't expect certain things perfect or whatever the response is to.
The OP has the right to his opinion. But in having that right we all do also. So if we disagree we have the right to voice it.
All constructive and open and good hearted."
Really well written, that says it all!:thumbsup:
