Need help deciding first stone.

[Mr Kooby Shemayrew]

I have bought 3 Shapton Glass 500s and 2 2ks. The only synthetics I have bought multiples of on purpose. I did somehow end up with 2 Shapton Pro 12ks and I won't tell you how many crystolons and India's. You can't go wrong with the Cerax or Chosera stones either. I just prefer the splash and go no nonsense of the glass series. And I actually really like the Naniwa Super Stone 2k as well. But I am one of the few that will mention that out loud. The super stones tend to glaze after every three strokes. The key to keeping them clean and cutting is a green scotchbrite nagura. Then they work great. And are remarkably slow to dish despite being very easy to gouge.

I love this post. Stringer has successfully narrowed the field of, what is your favorite stone, down to a pool of *only* about 100. You make me proud.

This is like asking someone, what is the most amazing thing you received for free, only to find out they are in fact a kleptomaniac.

I love you all. You make me feel at home.

 

[Johnsmyname]

Thank you for all the responses. New plan of action is as follows,

-Atoma 140
-Shapton G500
-SP2000 or Naniwa 2000

or alternatively…

-Atoma 140
-SG500
-SP1000
-Naniwa 3000

Somehow I went from 1 stone to 3? I think I’m starting to figure this place out.

 

[Emieloss]

Somehow I went from 1 stone to 3? I think I’m starting to figure this place out.

 

[Vaughan]

Thank you for all the responses. New plan of action is as follows,

-Atoma 140
-Shapton G500
-SP2000 or Naniwa 2000

or alternatively…

-Atoma 140
-SG500
-SP1000
-Naniwa 3000

Somehow I went from 1 stone to 3? I think I’m starting to figure this place out.

I would imagine the SG500 and SP1000 would have an unnecessary amount of crossover for someone starting out.

Still deliberating which of the two to buy first myself.

 

[Emieloss]

Well imo it really depends on what you will be sharpening.

More high end steels like SG2 / Shirogami / Aogami / etc. I would definitely want to finish on the Naniwa pro 3k.

Softer stainless knives (i.m.o.) get dull too fast if you take them too high up in grits. Not really more than 1k needed. I even find my naniwa pro 1k almost too much when I sharpen my mom or sisters knives. So I usually do NP400 and then just very lightly polish a bit on the NP1k and make sure I don't overdo it. Great toothy edge that will last long enough for that type of steel.

If you want to go the three stone route I would probably advice a NP400 / 2k / BBW.

As a two stone route I would probably go SG500 / NP3k

I would say the 2k is a bit too much for softer stainless and a bit too little for finishing higher end steels. So I would either use it as a stepping stone or leave it out.

 

[Benuser]

A remark about the NP2k: it delivers a fine, smooth 3k end result, but starts quite aggressively. As if the abrasive particles break down during the sharpening. This is all fine, but there's a complication. When deburring you want a clean stone. There you have again that somewhat aggressive initial state, which is far from helpful when deburring. Sure, it will abrade your burr, but even with the lightest touch, edge leading, not without raising a new one.
A solution were to raise some mud after cleaning before starting the deburring. I find the SG2k far more practical in that respect.

 

[nopomo]

I like the pairing of King 300 and Shapton Pro 2000, especially if there’s soft stainless involved. Add a hard Arkansas or BBW on top and a coarse Crystolon below and you’re good for a long time…or at least until you decide to get into polishing.

 

[el_sheldon]

or alternatively…

-Atoma 140
-SG500
-SP1000
-Naniwa 3000

Somehow I went from 1 stone to 3? I think I’m starting to figure this place out.

So I'm in a similar position and was ready to start a thread for some advice before stumbling across this one. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who contributed here. Getting started can be pretty intimidating and there is no shortage of great advice here. After poring over all of the replies, I somehow arrived to the same conclusion as John's second option. Somehow, I had missed this. I think I was more focused on the 500/2000 progression at first, before deciding to go SG500/SP1000/Naniwa 3000 to get a sampling of the different stones out there. Either way, I'm looking forward to getting started. Thanks again for a great thread. I think I'm also starting to figure this place out.

 

[Johnsmyname]

UPDATE:

I got the Atoma 140 and the JDM Chocera 1000. I have nothing to base this off of, but I like the stone well enough. I can see why some people prefer the soakers. I think that internally lubed and muddy surface would have a much smoother/better feel. That said for my limited home use I'm fine with splash and go and still thinks it makes more sense for me. Once I get proficient on this stone (assuming I don't throw it out my kitchen window in a fit of rage), I'll add the same JDM Chocera in 3000 and a Rockstar 500. I think that will be pretty good for small fixes and touching up my German and Japanese steel.

As for actual sharpening, I started off very frustrated. After watching hours of videos for the past 2 weeks I got less than stellar results at first. This was expected but no less vexing. I tried sharpening really crapy Cuisinart knives at first. That steel is very hard to work with. I moved up to Wustoff and that got much better results. The issue was mostly my movement. Even with locked wrists it was was not smooth or consistent. I tried all sorts of methods and I think the Japanese style will ultimately be best for me. I was able to get a shaving edge with the Wustoff, but I know that knife can be sharper. Getting a fast and consistent draw/pull over the whole blade is extremely difficult and awkward. I almost want to lock my entire upper body and twist at the hips, but I don't see anyone else doing this, also it would require me to switch hands to achieve the same on the reverse. It looks like the Japanese style is easier up higher closer to the chest as well? Not sure what or if I'm asking anything lol, just wanted to give an update.

Thanks for all the help and opinions gents!

 

[Emieloss]

I've been sharpening for years now. It's only recently that I found myself being very consistent and fast in producing a wicked sharp edge. Yet, there's still so much that I can learn, especially in regards to polishing / kasumi finish. It's a hobby where there's a LOT of practice involved. Try to not get frustrated and to enjoy the process of learning. It gets better

 

[Benuser]

Please be aware that the sharpness of a Wüsthof is limited by the size of its chromium carbides, i.e. 3-4 micron. To give an idea: a simple carbon steel edge will end around half a micron.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

A one-half-micron apex width is not even scrape-shaving sharp. See the late Dr. Kraichuk's sharpness chart. That's a low hurdle to clear, even with a Wüsthof. Dr. Kraichuck managed as BESS 65 edge with one which equates to an apex width around 0.15µm. He used 1µ diamond on a rock-hard felt wheel as the final step.

 

[Simply]

UPDATE:

I got the Atoma 140 and the JDM Chocera 1000. I have nothing to base this off of, but I like the stone well enough. I can see why some people prefer the soakers. I think that internally lubed and muddy surface would have a much smoother/better feel. That said for my limited home use I'm fine with splash and go and still thinks it makes more sense for me. Once I get proficient on this stone (assuming I don't throw it out my kitchen window in a fit of rage), I'll add the same JDM Chocera in 3000 and a Rockstar 500. I think that will be pretty good for small fixes and touching up my German and Japanese steel.

As for actual sharpening, I started off very frustrated. After watching hours of videos for the past 2 weeks I got less than stellar results at first. This was expected but no less vexing. I tried sharpening really crapy Cuisinart knives at first. That steel is very hard to work with. I moved up to Wustoff and that got much better results. The issue was mostly my movement. Even with locked wrists it was was not smooth or consistent. I tried all sorts of methods and I think the Japanese style will ultimately be best for me. I was able to get a shaving edge with the Wustoff, but I know that knife can be sharper. Getting a fast and consistent draw/pull over the whole blade is extremely difficult and awkward. I almost want to lock my entire upper body and twist at the hips, but I don't see anyone else doing this, also it would require me to switch hands to achieve the same on the reverse. It looks like the Japanese style is easier up higher closer to the chest as well? Not sure what or if I'm asking anything lol, just wanted to give an update.

Thanks for all the help and opinions gents!

This stood out to me. Personally (and I think most others too), the only time I’ll cover the entire length in one stroke is is towards the end of a stone, unifying the previous scrubbing motion, then gradually lighter edge-leading (full length) strokes for a quick deburr. Full length is typically a slower/more controlled motion than the scrubbing

 

[Johnsmyname]

@Simply that’s helpful, thanks for the advice Liam.

 

[MowgFace]

UPDATE:

I almost want to lock my entire upper body and twist at the hips, but I don't see anyone else doing this,

This used to be much more popular.





Back from the early days.

PS - this is not me.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

This used to be much more popular.

Holy cow that takes me back. Were you on Knife Forums?

 

[MowgFace]

Holy cow that takes me back. Were you on Knife Forums?

I joined here like 3 days after the great Schism of ITK... Missed a lot of popcorn.