Serious question: was a blade collector's critique actually good for my sharpening game?

I got into custom knives a few years back, mostly folders. I thought my edge was fine. Then at a mini meetup in Austin last spring, this older guy with a table of vintage Case knives watched me sharpen one of mine. He just said, "You're polishing, not cutting." Straight up told me I was chasing a mirror edge and ignoring the apex. I was annoyed at first. But I tried his method, lower angle with a coarser stone, and now the damn thing slices paper and shaves arm hair way easier. The mirror finish is gone, but it actually works. So here's the thing. Is there a line between a pretty edge and a useful one? Do any of you prefer a working edge over a shiny one, or was that guy just old school and grumpy?

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the_miles1mo ago

Mirror edges are for Instagram, working edges are for actually using the damn knife.