valgard
Stones Addict (terminal case)
I'm starting to distill my Jnat collection a bit so here are a couple stones that won't break the bank.
Shiro Suita
180x65x20mm
Price $160 + shipping
Typical suita, fast stone, on the medium hardness, probably somewhere around lvl 3, maybe slightly higher but I'm not the best judge for hardness. It does produce a good bit of mud when used for wide bevels. Leaves a rather clean finish and very good kitchen edge, enough bite while refined enough to cut hanging hair. The grit consistency is not that of a top quality suita and it does have some coarser particles but not too coarse at all, you have to scrutinize the finish to see them and they mostly vanish if you work the mud long enough and lightening pressure and consistent direction. It's easy to achieve a working kasumi.
Sharpness test
[video=youtube;pO-58Xu7YAI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO-58Xu7YAI[/video]
same angle and light but zoomed
very close zoom, you can see the lower grit scratches I was talking about but by no means deep.
Okudo Shiro Suita Koppa
$35+shipping
100x85x15mm
Very agressive stone (super fast for it's grit, more so than even most synthetics in that range), medium hardness, leaves dark clading and strong contrast with core steel. Even finish, very good kitchen edge, lots of bite and enough refinement. Perfect traveling stone for touch ups. This stone is a cheat finisher, its excellent at hiding deeper scratches. The stone is pretty much perfect except for the size.
Blue Aoto Koppa
Aoto Koppa 30+shipping or 55+ shipping for both
155x55x40mm
Blue Aoto koppa. Very soft (HS 19 according to Watanabe) and muddy stone, gentle on cladding, leaves strong contrast and can be used to set up a finer stone.
Shiro Suita
180x65x20mm
Price $160 + shipping
Typical suita, fast stone, on the medium hardness, probably somewhere around lvl 3, maybe slightly higher but I'm not the best judge for hardness. It does produce a good bit of mud when used for wide bevels. Leaves a rather clean finish and very good kitchen edge, enough bite while refined enough to cut hanging hair. The grit consistency is not that of a top quality suita and it does have some coarser particles but not too coarse at all, you have to scrutinize the finish to see them and they mostly vanish if you work the mud long enough and lightening pressure and consistent direction. It's easy to achieve a working kasumi.
Sharpness test
[video=youtube;pO-58Xu7YAI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO-58Xu7YAI[/video]
same angle and light but zoomed
very close zoom, you can see the lower grit scratches I was talking about but by no means deep.
Okudo Shiro Suita Koppa
$35+shipping
100x85x15mm
Very agressive stone (super fast for it's grit, more so than even most synthetics in that range), medium hardness, leaves dark clading and strong contrast with core steel. Even finish, very good kitchen edge, lots of bite and enough refinement. Perfect traveling stone for touch ups. This stone is a cheat finisher, its excellent at hiding deeper scratches. The stone is pretty much perfect except for the size.
Blue Aoto Koppa
Aoto Koppa 30+shipping or 55+ shipping for both
155x55x40mm
Blue Aoto koppa. Very soft (HS 19 according to Watanabe) and muddy stone, gentle on cladding, leaves strong contrast and can be used to set up a finer stone.
