Alternatives to Chosera 400 and 800?

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Taffalito

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After reading up on whetstones, I was dead set on getting Naniwa Chosera in 400/800/3000 and live happy forever...

Unfortunately, my local whetstone shop is for the moment out of stock when it comes to Chosera 400 and 800.

Whetstones in stock of roughly similar grit are:

Naniwa SS 400 and 800
Imanishi Arashiyama 1000
Morihei 1000
Shapton Glass 320/1000
Suehiro SNE 320/600/1000 grit
Suehiro Cerax 401/1010

Should I settle for one stone to begin with, I lean towards the Imanishi Arashiyama 1000, buy it OR wait a couple of weeks until the Chosera 800 is back in stock?

How does Imanishi Arashiyama 1000 compare to Chosera 800?
 
You're going to use these stones for a very long time if not forever. If your local shop doesn't have them in stock you may get them elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if supply chains got interrupted in the coming time due to troubles in the Red Sea. We had a similar situation during Covid. So, get them where they're in stock now.
They are in stock with Knives & Tools.
https://www.knivesandtools.com/en/ct/naniwa-professional-stones-japanese-waterstones.htm
 
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My guess is you’d be happy with several of these, but I’m a big fan of Naniwa Pro/Chosera 800, so I’d say wait if it’s just a couple weeks. Of the ones on your list I’ve only used this and the Cerax, so others may be able to provide more details on pros and cons of each.
 
Pick whatever you really want. The stones will last forever.

Or, if you don't mind, buy the chosera later on and have a few overlapping stones. If stone try-out and buying is part of the hobby, there is nothing wrong with have more the the strict practical amount of stones.
 
Not at all arguing against the stones mentioned but I will toss Shapton into the mix if you can find those readily.

EDIT: Sorry, I missed that you had Shapton listed in your first post. :)
 
How does the Suehira Debado SNE 1200 (1000 grit) compare to Imanishi Arashiyama 1000 or Chosera 800?

Not much talk at all about Suehira Debado SNE 1200 on this and other forums. All I found was this fairly positive review: Suehiro Debado 1000 (No.1200 SNE) - ************** Forums
Also in stock is Suehira Debado LD-101 and Suehira Debado MD-100, admittedly on the more expensive side of things.

​


Anyone here got first hand experience with these Suehira stones?
 
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Taffalito said:
How does the Suehira Debado SNE 1200 (1000 grit) compare to Imanishi Arashiyama 1000 or Chosera 800?

Not much talk at all about Suehira Debado SNE 1200 on this and other forums. All I found was this fairly positive review: Suehiro Debado 1000 (No.1200 SNE) - ************** Forums
Also in stock is Suehira Debado LD-101 and Suehira Debado MD-100, admittedly on the more expensive side of things.

​


Anyone here got first hand experience with these Suehira stones?
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I haven't tried the Suehiro, But the Arashiyama 1K is currently my go-to 1k stone. it performs almost the same as the NP 800, it just soaks up water after a while.
Also, I think it's a better stone for the money. Polish nicely, cuts dang fast for 1K, and doesn't dish like crazy.
 
zizirex said:
I haven't tried the Suehiro, But the Arashiyama 1K is currently my go-to 1k stone. it performs almost the same as the NP 800, it just soaks up water after a while.
Also, I think it's a better stone for the money. Polish nicely, cuts dang fast for 1K, and doesn't dish like crazy.
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I ordered the Arashiyama 1000, price seemed right and it got good reviews. Next stones I buy will probably be Chosera 400 and 3000, or Morihei 1000 and 4000. Or... :oops:

Is the 1000 too coarse to use on fairly new knives for "touch up", or should I wait until I get a 3000 stone for that kind of job?
 
Much will depend on your ability to fully deburr with a 1k stone. Even if you can achieve so with a simple carbon, it's much more hazardous with stainless, if not frankly impossible, depending on the steel type. Never was able to fully deburr a VG-10 or SG-2/R2 at 1k.
Those same easily deburred carbons though would hugely benefit from a higher polished edge and are very well maintained by touching-up with the finest stone. Quite often in the rare cases of a full sharpening progression I finish my carbons with a Naniwa Pro/Chosera 3k. Its grit is more or less equivalent to the Japanese standard JIS 4k. For maintenance a few very light strokes on the same or a much higher grit will do.
 
Taffalito said:
After reading up on whetstones, I was dead set on getting Naniwa Chosera in 400/800/3000 and live happy forever...

Unfortunately, my local whetstone shop is for the moment out of stock when it comes to Chosera 400 and 800.

Whetstones in stock of roughly similar grit are:

Naniwa SS 400 and 800
Imanishi Arashiyama 1000
Morihei 1000
Shapton Glass 320/1000
Suehiro SNE 320/600/1000 grit
Suehiro Cerax 401/1010

Should I settle for one stone to begin with, I lean towards the Imanishi Arashiyama 1000, buy it OR wait a couple of weeks until the Chosera 800 is back in stock?

How does Imanishi Arashiyama 1000 compare to Chosera 800?
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What kind of knives do you intend to sharpen?
 
rickbern said:
What kind of knives do you intend to sharpen?
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Both carbon and stainless. And since I have only started my collection of decent knives, I can't yet tell if carbon or stainless will be more dominant than the other.
 
Cliff said:
Wish they'd make the Rockstar in 320.
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They do.

pop_p_rs_00320.png
 
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I know, I know. What can I say? Want to set a bevel? It's that much faster. Doesn't take much to get rid of the scratches with a 1K. But..., if I just want a quick working finish, say, for a cleaver, 500 is better.
 
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