Rika 5k, what a nice stone.

One of my cousins is a professional chef and she bought the Suehiro Rika 5k which she received yesterday. I've always wanted to try it but buying it just to try it wasn't something I was willing to do. I asked her if I could try hers and she said sure so I took my knife and went to her place this morning. Well, I get why the Rika is liked by so many people. It has a very nice smooth feeling to it with a sense of very fine abrasion. The stone also has this light kind of suctioning effect which makes it very easy to maintain your angle. The overall feedback from the Rika is great. I also like that it feels like a softer stone but it actually isn't all that soft. It does produce some mud but not a whole lot. It's also faster than I expected and it really knows how to remove metal. I should add that this is after a night of soaking though. I think I'm going to order it as well. The only downside it that Fine Tools (the only place in the EU that has it as far as we know) only sells it with a base attached. With a bit of luck they used hot glue to attach it. In that case it should come off easily. The price is also very good @ €55. With shipping that makes a total of €67, not bad for such a nice stone.

Just leave the base on. It comes in handy when your rika is only a few mm thick.

I didn't care for it at all until someone told me to soak it for a good half hour. Turned into an amazing stone, one of my favorites. I always prefer double-sided rather than mounted.

That's more or less what my cousin told me, that she likes it far better after a long soak.

I permasoak mine.

Now I just need to decide if I really need it. I mean, I really like it but my fast coticule polishes out the scratches from the King 1200 quite easily. The Rika on the other hand is so fast that the King 1200>coticule routine wouldn't always be necessary.

chihuahua

Golden Retriever.

I decided to order the Rika just because I like how it sharpens so much. Sometimes liking a thing is enough.

I can feel the tactile feedback from the Rika 5k in my fingers and wrists just sitting here thinking about it. Of all the stones that have come and gone, it remains my favorite. The "feel" is the selling point really, somehow hard, soft, creamy, smooth, and abrasive all at once: it's like sharpening on a slab of damp aged cheddar. Not sure why that works for me, but there it is.

Finish ain't bad either.

Thanks for this feedback on the Rika. Very useful information for those of us not familiar with the stone.