Patrick Chase
I think that you're stating as fact some things that are in fact subjective opinions, particularly about steel selection and the benefits (or lack thereof) of certain sharpening strategies.

Your comment about lapping films don't make sense. I can procure 3M 661X (the non-PSA version of what LV sells) for the equivalent of $4 per 3x6 sheet or a bit less. At that price I can afford 16 of them for the cost of a Diasharp or Atoma plate.

I can get hundreds of sharpening sessions out of a single sheet with reasonable care and technique. The plate will still last longer than 16 sheets, but the lapping sheets will be much faster (because I get to swap in 16 sets of new/undulled diamonds) and more uniform (because resin-bonding process that 3M uses to produce those lapping sheets is almost unbeatable in that respect). If you think your Atoma left uniform scratches then you're not grading on a very hard curve. They're pretty good for plates, but they still suck in the grand scheme.

The compounds (which you didn't address) are the best of all in terms of speed and scratch pattern, and surprisingly economical with good technique, but they obviously have a big downside in the form of contamination control.

At the risk of sounding a bit arrogant, but the cost of the sharpening consumables I use is utterly inconsequential in relation to either quality wood or the value of my time.