[jyl]

Did a little reading.

Apparently for blades that will be used for "push cutting" (like a razor, chisel, or plane), you want the most polished edge possible - without the grooving, roughness, and furrows on the pic above.

For blades that will be used for "slicing" (like a kitchen knife), some say you want a little roughness, others say you still want as smooth as possible, and yet others say you want some roughness if slicing foods with soft interiors and tough exteriors (soft tomatoes, say). Personally I have a serrated knife for cutting tomatoes.