Best ever gateway stone to get people addicted = new cerex 1k/3k combo stone?

[gic]

So at Stu's suggestion I recently bought a "new cerax" combo 1k/3k stone from Tools from Japan thinking it would be an ideal gift to get someone into stone sharpening as it is relatively inexpensive (about $36 delivered to the US) and has exactly the right grits for a beginner. And moreover Stu said it really is a nice combo stone for a beginner.

I used it to do a forgie rehab and I am pleased to report that Stu was absolutely right, worked like a charm, nice feel etc. The edge at 3k was perfectly fine (although I did use Jon's 6k stone to put an even better edge on it ).

So for what it is worth this is now my suggestion to get people interested in stones. It's a full sized stone but each side is roughly 1/2 of full size. (dimensions = #3000 - 186mm x 63mm x 13mm, #1000 - 186mm x 63mm x 15mm). Comes in a clever stone holder as well. Also it doesn't seem to dish much and only needs a few minutes soaking!

 

[dreamwrx]

That's a pretty good price.. it looks like it would be a great starter kit for newcomers at that price. They also have a few others I would be interested in looking at too.

How fast are they compared to other stones? and how quickly do they get used up? Soaking time?

 

[gic]

Soaking time a few minutes, they seem pretty fast - pretty much like most of the new cerax stones. I only tried them on one knife - a forgie and it cut pretty fast on the forgie. Forgies are around 60-61 HRC so that is a good sign.. What I like about it for beginners is (a)it has the grits they will most likely need (1 and 3k), comes with a stone holder and it is cleverly done, the stones come out for soaking and then fit back into the holder for sharpening. All in all it seems like an ideal choice for a beginner to get into stones.

 

[panda]

HELL of a lot better than any other cheap combo stone. you got a good price, i got mine off ebay for $50. the 1k feels rubbery and loads a bit, but it cuts well enough, the 3k side is pretty good actually.

 

[gic]

Yea the yen is pretty weak, Stu sells it for 3150 yen and then economy sal adds about 1250 yen, so it really is $36 with the yen at its current rate

 

[berko]

ive seen it for ~18 $ on rakuten.

 

[gic]

Berko are you sure it is the same stone this is the "new" cerax model 3800. I searched for スエヒロ cr-3800 on global rakuten and got the cheapest price was 3450 yen

 

[berko]

I thought it was this one. ?

 

[berko]

But im not sure about the dimensions any more.

 

[gic]

I think that isn't a full size stone, suehero makes a 1k/3k stone that is way tiny

 

[Benuser]

It was my first stone, the 1k is a bit soft and sandy and unproper for advanced steels. The 3k leaves a 6k edge on simple carbons, and a weak edge one everything else, just weakening the matrix.