How many sharpenings does stones and knives last?

Hey, been wondering about this after i spent some coin on alot of gear. Basically how many sharpenings does synthetic water stones last, lets take the naniwa choser(professional), how many sharpening does the different kinds of grit last, how long have you had yours?

Also how long does knife last, will they slowly shrink and become smaller but useable knives, or will it lose it shape and become useless?

This sounds like an SAT question.

HRC_64 said:

This sounds like an SAT question.

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Lol 😂 ... that indeed is a loaded question!

This are questions that I just don't even think about. I worry more about chips and fingers and rust and if there's beer in the fridge.

Knifolini said:

Hey, been wondering about this after i spent some coin on alot of gear. Basically how many sharpenings does synthetic water stones last, lets take the naniwa choser(professional), how many sharpening does the different kinds of grit last, how long have you had yours?

Also how long does knife last, will they slowly shrink and become smaller but useable knives, or will it lose it shape and become useless?

Click to expand...

Unless you are a professional sharpener, the stones may well outlast you, at least the higher grit ones. Keep in mind that obsessive flattening will reduce the life of a stone. Flatten only when needed, and learn to sharpen using as much of the surface of the stone as possible to minimize the need for flattening.

The same goes for knives, unless you are a professional sushi chef who sharpens every day. Try to remove as little metal as possible during each session. Keep in mind that it is seldom necessary to run through a full progression each time you sharpen. Usually a touch up with your high grit stone is sufficient. When you find it necessary to use a medium grit stone, do a little thinning behind the edge before you actually touch the edge.

Of course none of this applies if you drop a stone or break the tip or chip the edge of the knife.

Oh crap .. had a little crisis, cat fight outside my cat took a hit grrrrrrrrrrr. I must've hit the reply with my thumb before done with my reply as I was shutting down iPad. Sorry didn't mean to come off dickish, was going to add some of the stuff that Pensacola covered very very nicely! The only thing I could add to that would be try using a sharpie to paint your edge to see where you're removing metal. Watch JKI's videos they're good and don't over think it!! As you progress you'll develop muscle memory and it will become more and more natural each time. You'll get to know what each knife you own needs/wants for angle and finish grit. This is where the fun begins and more confidence brings more fun... welcome to the rabbit hole!

I really enjoy sharpening and as such I buy, sell and trade a lot of stones both synthetic and natural. As such I sharpen on said stones a lot and have a few knives dedicated to that. I also practice sharpening damn near every day and I dull out and resharpen the same knife for that too. One knife that I have is a 165mm Tojiro shirogami that has probably been taken to the stones a few hundred times and has seen loads and load of thinning. In over two years of doing this it is about 3mm more narrow than it started out. If you were to touch up a blade only when it needs it and maybe having to do a full progression a few times a year, as a home cook, I think that most stones and knives would last you decades or maybe a lifetime. There are, of course, variables at play.

Having said that, it seems that a lot of people who get into sharpening end up sharpening for other people, I know I do. That will eat up your stones quicker. Particularly your coarse stones. I have a 220 pink brick, which started out quite large, that is about as thick as a shapton glass. I have also killed off a shapton glass 500 2x thick and a suehiro 320. If I sharpened only my own knives, there is no way I would have gone through even one of these stones! But as it stands I do sharpen for family and friends and it seems I am always doing it.

Anyway, I don't think you have to worry about blowing through knives and stones because of sharpening.