Stone with base or not ?

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eaglerock

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What do you guys prefer ?

I'm buying the Rika 5000.
There are 2 options, with base for 52$ without for 49$.

Never used stones with base before so i'm not sure which ones is better.
 
Given the option, I always choose the ones with base.

That extra support for the stone can be important when the stone gets thin. If you're going to epoxy the stone to something when the time comes anyways, why not get it on a base to begin with? The flip side is that a stone on a base is not as portable, so if you will be taking the stone here and there, back and forth, then there's an advantage to going without a base.
 
I personally don't care for bases, and go baseless when I can. Bases have too many nooks and crannies for water to get trapped in, and I don't need the extra height a base provides. It's just more mess than anything for me.
 
Based stones are my preference because I've had too many non-base stones crack, buckle, warp, and in the end need mounting when they become too thin to use without support. Plus I enjoy the extra knuckle clearance that the base height supplies. I GREATLY prefer wood over plastic bases though but sometimes plastic is all that's offered. Now if I traveled with my stones more often then I may choose differently.

Just my :2cents:
 
Relatively thin, strong bases are nice. Most plastic bases take up a lot of space unnecessarily, esp. if you have a stone holder. Plus, they make stacking difficult. Then again, if you only have a handful of stones, that probably doesn't matter as much, lol.
 
I prefer them without bases. First, they're a lot smaller and easier to store, and I also like to see the whole stone and, well, stare at them sometimes because they're cool. (I'm picturing naturals.) They're also easier to clean without a base - especially the nats with an unneven bottom. I don't use stones enough to wear them down thin - well not yet - and I'm careful, so I don't worry about breakage. As for pros, I've been in a few workshops in Japan and I don't see them mounting their stones. My impression has been that bases are provided more for home users who might fuzz things up. (Which is why, I suppose, that two sellers in Japan offered me free wooden bases to attach if I wanted. Ahem.)
 
Yeah, none of my naturals are mounted on bases. At some point when they get thin, I'm going to make sure I mount them on something though. Rrr... assuming I get to that point within my lifetime.
 
I'm on my second 5K Rika,both wood bases.Also a Kitayama wt. wood base.All my other stones are baseless.I hardly use a stone holder anymore,except for diamond plates reprofiling.Prefer section of 2x4 rags top & bottom so plenty knuckle clearence.

The feedback,action,cutting ability of stone is more important to me than if it has a base or not.:cheffry:
 
I had one stone split on me. The stone was mounted and lacquered on the sides. My theory was that evaporation was only happening in one direction and that caused the problem. In light of what Dave has said, this may not be the case, however, I still like the stones to be unmounted.
 
I had one stone split on me. The stone was mounted and lacquered on the sides. My theory was that evaporation was only happening in one direction and that caused the problem. In light of what Dave has said, this may not be the case, however, I still like the stones to be unmounted.


That very well could be. Also it could be true that a base could buckle and warp and crack the stone.
 
Yeah, none of my naturals are mounted on bases. At some point when they get thin, I'm going to make sure I mount them on something though. Rrr... assuming I get to that point within my lifetime.

Well, L, on one hand you certainly have enough knives around to wear them down. On the other, unless cooking is your job or you have a huge family, how much can one actually cook and use the knives so that they require sharpening? ;) I think my stones will take decades to wear down.
 
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