Kitayama 8k or Shapton Pro 8k?

Hello everyone and thanks for your help!

(To skip introduction step directly to the other paragraph)

By far I only own one sharpening stone: Suehiro Cerax 700. I am happy with it and it is a good stone, pretty fast and I’ve been able to learn how to get my knives sharp (only one Santoku White #2 and a few cheap knives: Chef 240 and a petty). The problem I find with this stone is that although it gives a fine edge it isn’t that extremely fine as I’d like it to be, and the biggest issue for me is that I have to soak it, so it ends up I sharpen my knives once a month or so.

I wanna have something that gives a really fine edge that I could possibly in the future use with a straight razor and it must be splash and go. I found these two would do fine for me: kitayama 8k since it kind of behaves like a soaking stone and gives nice polish; or Shapton Pro 8k since it’s even more truly splash and go and isn’t really behaving like lower grit Shaptons where you don’t have much feedback. (That’s what I found out about the 2 stones around the web). I saw the price is a bit more convenient for the Kitayama but not that big of a difference ($10 difference)

giova said:

Hello everyone and thanks for your help!

(To skip introduction step directly to the other paragraph)

By far I only own one sharpening stone: Suehiro Cerax 700. I am happy with it and it is a good stone, pretty fast and I’ve been able to learn how to get my knives sharp (only one Santoku White #2 and a few cheap knives: Chef 240 and a petty). The problem I find with this stone is that although it gives a fine edge it isn’t that extremely fine as I’d like it to be, and the biggest issue for me is that I have to soak it, so it ends up I sharpen my knives once a month or so.

I wanna have something that gives a really fine edge that I could possibly in the future use with a straight razor and it must be splash and go. I found these two would do fine for me: kitayama 8k since it kind of behaves like a soaking stone and gives nice polish; or Shapton Pro 8k since it’s even more truly splash and go and isn’t really behaving like lower grit Shaptons where you don’t have much feedback. (That’s what I found out about the 2 stones around the web). I saw the price is a bit more convenient for the Kitayama but not that big of a difference ($10 difference)

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I would suggest adding a Shapton Pro 2K to the Cerax 700 to improve your edge,then maybe jump to the Kitayama 8k for a little refinement.

Get a King 1k/6k (or the 6k alone) and a Superstone 5K. Two very different polishing stones, but one of them will probably match each knife you'll ever have perfectly.

The 1k King might also help lessen the jump from 700 to 5K or 8K.

700 to 8K sounds like something that will rather give you brutal bite than a refined edge. Also, there is a commonly held opinion here that 8K is too high (in a "will not work") way for some types of stainless. Held by people I trust to know.

Then, maybe add one of the 8k you mention. Or an SS 12K. Or a coticule (aka Belgian Yellow). Or a belgian blue- maybe.

Also - get some balsa slabs and chromium oxide paste. Not expensive, and extremely effective on an already refined edge.


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Can't comment on the two 8K you mention.

The King 6K is extremely easy to use, it just works. It does not give mirror edges.

The superstones do a fantastic job of polishing everything bright. However, they deal out lessons about what sharpeners mean by "don't crush your edge on the polishing stone", soft as they may be. Splash and go.

The belgian yellow ... not a bright polisher, but it can actually sharpen despite having a very high effective grit. It also teaches hard "edge crushing" lessons. Usually comes on a slate base that works great as a cleaning stone for other finishers. Splash and go, good touchup stone.

The belgian blue... strange animal. Very easily scratched, teaches its own lessons that way. Works one some knives, not so well on others (as does the yellow).

I would jump maybe 700 to a 3k or 4k. I find the Shapton to be much more usable. The Kitiyama is a great stone when used in conjuction with a high grit progression. It would not perform well at all if used directly after a 700. I've owned it twice, and sold it twice, as it just became redundant.

I think the Kitayama will handle a large jump just fine, I do it all of the time. I actually rather like the stone. It is soft, fast and splash and go. It can be used for a fair but light in contrast faux kasumi too. It has good but not great feedback and it is fairly priced. It follows a 1k as well as it does a 5-6k but the edge left will be fairly different unless you spend a fair amount of time on the stone. Direct from a 1k and only a few minutes spent will leave you with an edge that is both refined yet very aggressive in terms of tooth or bite.

The SP8k is a totally different stone. It is very hard and very perceive. It is in no way forgiving of poor or even mediocre technique. However, if you angular consistency is up to par the resulting edge will be wicked indeed. Subtle bite but a lot of it. Feedback is fair but not great. Better than the 5k for sure.

I keep both of these stones in my stable and use both regularly. I think you can't go wrong with either but neither are similar. There are other good options out there too, too many to list.

Thank you all for your important suggestions.

I was convinced once I strop it good on the 700 I could have an edge capable to bear the jump with quite some time spent on the 8k. And then once having done a good job I could refresh the edge at the moment when I need to cut something (instead of having sharpening sessions every period of time).

The King 6k seems a good idea. Although I was looking at the price range of the Rika 5k or Arashiyama 6k (I know the Arashiyama is close to the king but it is a splash and go). The only thing keeping me back from the Rika is the soaking experience, I imagine I will end up using it not so often as I would with a splash and go.

The “big matter” for me after the splash and go one is that the price range of 5k/6k stones is very close to the higher grit ones and I may regret having bought a lower grit stone. As for example I kind of regret not having bought the Cerax 1k instead of the 700, because I though my knives have never been sharpened so I need a low grit but that can leave a good edge. I think I would have done just fine with a 1k stone.

If the 700, in hindsight, wasn't the right stone maybe sell it and start fresh.
I think about the old adage don't be pennywise pound foolish.

Also, are you going to take a straight razor from 700 to 8K?
If not you'll need a sequence/mid-grit anyways.

So maybe it s not so crazy to pick that mid-grit stone now
and do the 8k later.

One sequence to maybe think about not mentioned:
hayabusa 4K ($40ish)
and a Fujiyama 8k down the road ($80-ish)

Yeah, I missed the straight razor part. I really need to stop posting in the morning...(As I sip my coffee.) I like a tighter progression for razors and I like my SP stones all the way. For knives I prefer softer stones with different feedback much of the time. Bigger jumps on the stones for food vs dragging a blade across my face too.

I don’t really know the ayabusa, could you more or less tell something about this stone? (Sure I’ll check for myself too) and is it a splash and go? Anyway I’d like to try the Shapton experience, I was thinking about the 5k unless you better suggest other kind of stones, for I heard the 5k isn’t so well reviewed from knives owners. If not that I would maybe try instead the Naniwa SuperStone again 5k.

I don’t really have that much time to sharpen my knives progressively that often so my idea right now was to spend some more time once a month with refining the edge on the Cerax700 and then taking again my time on a higher grit like 5/6 k and at that point I’d like my edge not to need anything else and to just keep it fresh on the go when i need it to be, just by throwing it on the higher grit stone. I don’t mind an hazy or shiny finish but maybe prefer the shiny more.

The Shapton Pro 5K is a very hard feeling stone. Sharpening on it feels like moving your blade over a sheet of glass. I'd like to change out mine for something with more feedback, but I don't use it enough to justify the cost.

How would you talk about the edge coming out from a Shapton 5k though?

I don't stop at the Shapton 5k, so I can't say.

Every knife I sharpen goes through Superstone 400, Shapton 1K, Shapton 5k, Imanaishi 8K, Strop on Black Latigo.

I do regurlarly AI 1k ---> Kitayama 8k jump. and I love it.

giova said:

How would you talk about the edge coming out from a Shapton 5k though?

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The edge coming off a Shapton pro 5k is more than sufficient. Personally, 700 to a Kityama is a huge jump unless you're going for a toothier edge or spending a super long time on the Kitayama. I find get something around 3-4k.

zetieum said:

I do regurlarly AI 1k ---> Kitayama 8k jump. and I love it.

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Yep, that is a good setup.