But normally, you are correct. Steeling/honing doesn't remove metal. Back/steeling does, I think, but a very minute amount. I think it pouts micro-serations on the edge, making it slice tough skinned, delicate fruits, like tomatoes, plumbs, etc. My knife also goes through such foods easily, and at the same time, will handle the toughest rutabaga, or winter squash.
I argued the same point with my FIL, while he was still living. He was a stubborn man and had to prove to me that I was wrong. If enough pressure is applied to the knife, metal is removed.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
I do get a little carried away when it comes to sharpening Japanese knives but for Wusthofs and the like I generally either use my Kalamazoo 42" x 1" belt grinder (finishing on a leather belt doped with 0.5 micron CrO paste) or on stones, in which case I usually just go up to a 2k Naniwa "Green Brick" or Aotoshi. That's about as fine an edge as those knives will hold.
The Chief explained back honing: it is done with the spine of the knife going first. The knife is dragged along the steel in the direction of the spine. With regular honing, you move the knife as though you were trying to shave off a very thin slice of the steel.
