Need some new stones recommendations??

hey guys looking to upgrade my stones a bit.

I love the gesshin stone i have and id like to stay with those or stones that are comparable. I have talked to jon although i can't decide on which to get grit wise or whether to go with the soaking or splash and go stones. The splash n go stones are much cheaper which is better for me but do they compare to the soaking stones?


most of my sharpening is done at home so my stones i normally soak all the time. although it'd be nice to have a medium grit stone like a 2-4k that i can carry with me at work in case i need to have a touch up or some sort of repair here and there.

I currently have a G400, 1k( which i hate), 6k(Steelex which is actually quite decent), and my takashima which i love.

Id definitely like to replace my 1k, either with another 1k or possibly another grit. I wouldn't mind adding another stone either, jon mentioned the 6k he has but since i like my 6k stone I'm not sure id like to get one of the same grit... Im interested in the 4k and the 5k, major price difference although not sure about the performance wise.

what do you guys think? i don't want to spend a fortune but i would like to get some nicer stones any recommendations welcome.

thanks

Ive got the gesshin 2k and it cuts faster than my 400 Super Stone...would be a great replacement for the 1k stone youve currently got. I have used the 4k and it also cuts amazingly quickly for the grit range it is rated at. Good feedback. I know for a while a buddy of mine was using the Gesshin 400 and then straight to the Gesshin 4000. He has since changed it up a bit but he really like that combo for a while. I'm hoping to get a Gesshin 400 soon and then sometime in the next year or two the Gesshin 5000...

It would help to know why you "hate" or "love" the stones you have.

Splash n go are just fine for routine stuff but nice soakers are invariably faster. There really is no comparison and shouldn't even be something worth discussion. Soakers usually have better feedback, too. I think it's just the nature of the beast. Splash n go tend to give shinier finishes and finer edges for the same grit rating, although that isn't always true.

Im not too picky about finishes as they are work knives i really don't care what it looks like.

i hate my 1k stone because of how it feels. its very very hard, not much feedback however it does a decent job, but i wish it did cut faster it seems to load up quickly.

the 6k, i like the edge i get off of it. It cuts decently leaves a nice finish but a toothy edge.

I am considering getting the 2k and 4k. although i like the price much more of the 5k so if they are comparable stones id rather go with the 5k. Unless the 4k could be used as repair work and a finishing stone and the 5k could only be used as more of a finishing stone.

tk59 said:

It would help to know why you "hate" or "love" the stones you have.

Splash n go are just fine for routine stuff but nice soakers are invariably faster. There really is no comparison and shouldn't even be something worth discussion. Soakers usually have better feedback, too. I think it's just the nature of the beast. Splash n go tend to give shinier finishes and finer edges for the same grit rating, although that isn't always true.

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Hadn't read or heard this before. Good info. Thanks.

Maybe a Bester 1200 would be good?

have considered it, although everyone says the 2k cuts extremely well and leaves a great edge to use so that could be a good stone for me to have considering a lot of my knives i leave around 1k edges on.

definitely like that as an option to replace my 1k as it would be a more versatile.

Okay. You like soakers. You want feedback and you don't care about finish. In my mind, I would go with G-rat's recommendation. Either the 2k or the 4k will do, if you always start with the 400. Both are fast and give great feedback. The downside is they are on the thirsty side of the spectrum (moreso the 2k than the 4k) but not annoyingly so. If you are slow at sharpening, you might have to rewet the stone before you're done with a side but I generally don't have to. After that, I'd say Bester (cheaper), Gesshin 1k (splash n go), Chosera (less thirsty/almost splash n go), and possibly a Sigma Select II 1.2k (hard/doesn't dish) for various reasons.

Alright I think I know what I'm going to go with thanks guys

If you love takashima, a red aoto from Maxim would be a really really good companion. I've got both, and am happy with both stones.

schanop said:

If you love takashima, a red aoto from Maxim would be a really really good companion. I've got both, and am happy with both stones.

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red aoto? what is about 2-4kish?

how does it cut? are those the only stones you use?

Hi,

Yes, you can say it is a about 2-4kish . It is coarser than takashima, and for me it is a nice bridge from synthetic 700 bester, 1k JNS, 1.2 bester that I have into takashima or hakka. It is aggressive enough such that if I don't feel the need to fix chipping/micro chipping it can be my starter stone for normal sharpening.

For single bevel knives in particular, this stone leaves a nice finish that can be clean up easily with takashima and then finer stone if one wishes. And usually it is a final stone for my debas.

I've got naniwa ss 3k and synthetic aoto for comparison, and I prefer this red aoto any day for a muddy fine medium stone.

schanop said:

I've got naniwa ss 3k and synthetic aoto for comparison, and I prefer this red aoto any day for a muddy fine medium stone.

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+1 on the red aoto. The edge and finish it leaves are so good I don't usually go any further.

wsfarrell said:

+1 on the red aoto. The edge and finish it leaves are so good I don't usually go any further.

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I can confirm the performance of the red aoto and the takashima. I have both, and find them to be my favorite, most-used stones. I sometimes sharpen my Tojiro shirgami knives as sharp as I can get them, then mess around with them on the red aoto because I like the finish it leaves behind the edge.

Cheers,

Jack

This thread has caused me to just order the Red Aoto from Maksim; seems like it may be just the stone I have been wanting for quite some time. I also have the Takashima from Jon so I am hoping for good results.

Aw, man... I'm feeling that familiar urge. :help4:

You should head down the natural path, tk. The force is strong..

just placed my order, if i don't like it you will see it on here shortly if i like it you will get a full review

Alright. I'll wait to see what you say about it. If you don't want it, I call dibs, regardless of whether you like it or not.

tk59 said:

Alright. I'll wait to see what you say about it. If you don't want it, I call dibs, regardless of whether you like it or not.

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haha deal! I may do a passaround on it if anyone is interested in trying it out..

ya, ive been looking for a good 1kish stone for years now and still have my bester 1200. it is a really good stone but i would like something a little better. ive got quite a few stones that i dont use much these days as i use the gesshin 400, bester 1200 and rika 5k for most knives. i have a blue aoto that ive recently been inserting instead of the bester but it comes up just short of what im looking for.

anyway, i am interested in everyones suggestions here as i believe they would help me as well.

From what I hear gesshin 2k cuts amazing and has a decent finished edge I went with the aoto only cuz I really love my natural and had to see what it was about but I almost ordered the 2k from jon

Yup. Gesshin 2k is arguably the best in class for kitchen knives. I only know one guy that didn't like his all that much (I think it was too thirsty for him.). Now, I have it.

I also, love, love, love the Takishima that I got from JKI. The vast majority of my sharpening needs can be handled by the Takishima and the Gesshin 4k (I have the white, not-spash n' go one). The 4k cuts very fast and evenly, cuts even very hard and wear-resistant steels and leaves a very bright edge with even, fine, teeth. The 4k to Takishima progression works very well.

The other stone that I would recommend that, IMO does not get enough attention, is Dave's synthetic 2k "blue" aoto. This stone is on my long list of reviews that I need to write, but there's info here: http://www.japaneseknifesharpeningstore.com/Synthetic-Aoto-p/synaoto1.htm the regular, "size large" stone is $30 cheaper, but get the big monster one, trust me, it's awesome!

Dave cautioned me that it is a rather soft and fragile stone, especially when left soaking, so I decided to "pimp my stone" to protect it. I wrapped it with a thin layer of epoxy and black tissue paper (thanks JKI) and then attached it to a granite base. Here a a few quick pictures (the white stone is the Gesshin 4k, which as you know is not a small stone, but "big blue" dwarfs it:

So here's the deal, let me preface this with the fact the only stones that I've used prior to what I'm about to tell you about have been shapton pro's (1k, 2k and 5k). Long story short I talked to Jon and decided to buy a Gesshin 400 and after using that I instantly fell in love with it so that I ordered a 2k and a 4k. These knives are absolute leaps and bounds above the shapton's to the point where I was able sharpen my knives faster and with the best edges they have ever had before.

I've always been a proponent of the indian and not the arrow but sometimes it helps to have a quality arrow if you know what I mean. P.S. I just got back from a wedding rehearsal so I'm a bit lucid...:rofl2:

I really like the synthetic blue aoto. Very soft and leaves a very good cutting edge. From my experience, I PERMANENTLY permasoak mine. It's probably best used as a splashngo, but if you ever do permasoak it, don't ever let it dry out cause it might break in half on you (yest it's that soft a stone). Not a very fast cutter but leaves an edge that's considerably better than a standard 2k stone. I also like the suehiro rika a lot too; I kind of go back and forth between the two. They're different grit ranges but leave a similar finish and edge on my knives that I consider them comparable to each other.

stereo.pete said:

So here's the deal, let me preface this with the fact the only stones that I've used prior to what I'm about to tell you about have been shapton pro's (1k, 2k and 5k). Long story short I talked to Jon and decided to buy a Gesshin 400 and after using that I instantly fell in love with it so that I ordered a 2k and a 4k. These knives are absolute leaps and bounds above the shapton's to the point where I was able sharpen my knives faster and with the best edges they have ever had before.

I've always been a proponent of the indian and not the arrow but sometimes it helps to have a quality arrow if you know what I mean. P.S. I just got back from a wedding rehearsal so I'm a bit lucid...:rofl2:

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agreed. I just sold my Kono HD and now I'm back to my shun until my Marko custom gets here. I forgot how easy the HD made my life. i even thinned the shun and sharpened it really good before work, man i miss that knife already!!!!

But even with great technique good tools help quite a bit.