Shapton Pro 1000 or Bester 1200

I’m new to sharpening and have decided to go with an intermediate stone (1000-1500) and a polishing stone (Suehiro Rika 5000) to start out with after much advise. My last decision is between a Shapton Pro 1000 or a Bester 1200. They are within $5 of each other, so price isn’t a determining factor. Which one do you guys like better and why?

Bestor. Cause it's the best!

Neither!

I have not used the Bester. But Shapton Pro 1000 is crazy fast and has a very usable feedback. Dishes slowly. I use it mainly to clean up bevels when I make knives as I use Gesshin 2000 as a medium grit stone for sharpening. But that is just because I really really like the Gesshin so I decided to divide the tasks this way.

Chicagohawkie said:

Neither!

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I love these kind of comments. Absolutely useless, lol. I don’t mind the feedback, but at least give logical, first hand experience why you wouldn’t choose either stone.

sac36555 said:

I love these kind of comments. Absolutely useless, lol. I don’t mind the feedback, but at least give logical, first hand experience why you wouldn’t choose either stone.

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Ha Ha! First off Besten or bestor stones ive owned were horrible and I think I just threw one away. The shapton 1k is ok, but much better out there. I personally like my shapton glass 1k better and generally prefer the glass over pro.

I’ve not used either stone mentioned, but in this grit range I do enjoy the King 1200, which is generally well regarded if you don’t mind a soaker stone.

I also have had some positive results with both the JNS Matukusuyama 1000 (splash & go) and the King Hyper 1000 (soak for 15 minutes), but don’t have enough time with either to strongly endorse, though, again, they both are generally well received. Not sure what stones you’ve researched and thought I’d mention a few contenders...

I prefer the shapton pro 1000 in this case. It is a convenient stone with fair feedback and it removes metal quickly. It is not an expensive stone either. The bester is okay too but it is a thirsty, thirsty stone like most Imanishi stones I have owned.

Chicagohawkie said:

Ha Ha! First off Besten or bestor stones ive owned were horrible and I think I just threw one away. The shapton 1k is ok, but much better out there. I personally like my shapton glass 1k better and generally prefer the glass over pro.

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My budget is $50 max per stone. I can’t afford Shapton glass, JNS, Naniwa, etc.

The Bester 1200 is awesome imo. Really nice stone if you soak it.

Lars

OP - You've made a good choice with the Rika. As for the other two you could just flip a coin. Sometimes with stones you'll get two that work equally well but you'll gravitate to one just for the feel. I prefer stones with a slick feeling so many of my coarse/dry feeling stones sit unused for long periods. Is there any particular quality that you prefer in the stones you've tried?

tripleq said:

OP - You've made a good choice with the Rika. As for the other two you could just flip a coin. Sometimes with stones you'll get two that work equally well but you'll gravitate to one just for the feel. I prefer stones with a slick feeling so many of my coarse/dry feeling stones sit unused for long periods. Is there any particular quality that you prefer in the stones you've tried?

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Tripleq- I am brand new to sharpening and have NO experience! I just got my first J-knife after buying and using my moms Tojiro DP. I realized with j-knives that I needed to get into sharpening to maximize the benefit of my J-knives.

sac36555 said:

Tripleq- I am brand new to sharpening and have NO experience! I just got my first J-knife after buying and using my moms Tojiro DP. I realized with j-knives that I needed to get into sharpening to maximize the benefit of my J-knives.

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In that case the two stones you've mentioned are both good choices. In a side-by-side you might prefer one over the other but neither stone is a slouch. Personally I lean a little toward the Bester but they'll both get the job done. You could try a WTB ad if you are trying to save a few dollars. People tend to accumulate a lot of medium-fine/medium grit stones. I'm sure there are a few folks willing to part with some at a discount. One other stone to consider that has already been mentioned in this thread is the JNS 1000. Good luck with the search.