Best place to buy sharpening stones?

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over40

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New here and been reading about different takes on what sharpening stones to get - and I will be sharpening Zwilling four star knives. Pretty sure I just need a 800 or 1k stone or a 400/1k/6k set. I'd like to try a mid-budget stone first and wonder where the best place to buy them are. Amazon has them on sale with free shipping - or is there a better place to get them? Any info appreciated.
 
over40 said:
New here and been reading about different takes on what sharpening stones to get - and I will be sharpening Zwilling four star knives. Pretty sure I just need a 800 or 1k stone or a 400/1k/6k set. I'd like to try a mid-budget stone first and wonder where the best place to buy them are. Amazon has them on sale with free shipping - or is there a better place to get them? Any info appreciated.
Click to expand...
People’s opinions vary, but I find shapton 500/2000 a good two stone progression for zwilling four stars. 6000 is kinda overkill for that steel, personally I’d add a coarse 220 and work towards thinning it up a bit.

My favorite combination for your use would probably be a shapton glass 500 and a jki 2000.
 
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Yep for Zwilling and such my favorites are Norton oil stones and a soft Arkansas. A coarse Crystolon, fine India and a soft Ark will give you a ton of versatility and some really nice edges. You can use oil with all three so no accidentally messing up your water stones.

They don't have to be slathered in oil and all over your fingers. Just a very light surface coat to suspend the swarf.

Those stones served me for about 40 years and until I moved into harder and more complex steels, I never had a complaint. They also wear extremely slowly and will likely last you near a lifetime or more.

I like Best Sharpening Stones, Sharpening Supplies, RH Preyda, and Dan's Arkansas.

You can find all kinds of ark's out there and they all basically come from the same place. It's the grinding and lapping that sets them apart. Dan's is the best but direct from their store can be pricey. But then again, it may be the only one you ever buy so... They do produce stones under other brands but I'm not sure which ones are which.
 
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Thanks for the info. Do have a question on the Shapton 1000 stone. Some are marked PRO and some are not, but they seem to carry the same model # on the box. Are there different versions or are they one in the same with different packaging? Tks
 
over40 said:
Thanks for the info. Do have a question on the Shapton 1000 stone. Some are marked PRO and some are not, but they seem to carry the same model # on the box. Are there different versions or are they one in the same with different packaging? Tks
Click to expand...

If I remember right, the Pro was the US marketing term while Kuromaku was for overseas. I think they just merged them all under the Kuromaku umbrella. Same stone as far as I know.
 
I was thinking about getting a Smiths Tri-Stone unit as a starter to try - they are $25 shipped. Also add a leather honing strap. Anyone have any experience with this? I know it is lower end but some have had good luck with it...
 
over40 said:
I was thinking about getting a Smiths Tri-Stone unit as a starter to try - they are $25 shipped. Also add a leather honing strap. Anyone have any experience with this? I know it is lower end but some have had good luck with it...
Click to expand...

Personally, I'd recommend sticking with 8" stones. Much more surface contact so sharpening can be easier and faster, especially when learning. Lots of us use smaller stones, but starting out I always recommend 8".

No need to spring for a strop. You can strop on cardboard, denim, newspaper, etc.
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
Are they all the same now though Mike? I see Kuramoku all over the place these days.
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I'm pretty sure they are the same, except for there being the 12k and 30k Kuromaku but not Pro, and a 15k Pro but not Kuromaku.

Unless they've merged the branding in the past few years.
 
over40 said:
New here and been reading about different takes on what sharpening stones to get - and I will be sharpening Zwilling four star knives. Pretty sure I just need a 800 or 1k stone or a 400/1k/6k set. I'd like to try a mid-budget stone first and wonder where the best place to buy them are. Amazon has them on sale with free shipping - or is there a better place to get them? Any info appreciated.
Click to expand...


I've heard that if you buy stuff from Amazon they keep your address on a big database then Jeff Bezos comes round to your house at night and eats your children.
 
over40 said:
I was thinking about getting a Smiths Tri-Stone unit as a starter to try - they are $25 shipped. Also add a leather honing strap. Anyone have any experience with this? I know it is lower end but some have had good luck with it...
Click to expand...
The newer ones are not great. But some of the vintage ones have some nice soft and hard ark stones on them. But it's kind of a crapshoot. I definitely second or third or whatever the advice of getting some Shaptons. They work easily and effectively and eliminate a lot of variables when you're trying to figure stuff out.
 
For Western Stainless I sharpen on 4-500 then deburr on 1000-1500. You could go lower, hence the slightly coarser grits in Norton and similar oilstones. This steel is soft and coarse grained so won't take a higher polish. Indeed, a finer stone risks preferentially abrading the softer steel matrix, leaving the harder carbides standing proud (and not very sharp).

Oilstones work fine, although the feedback isn't great and I don't love using oil.

If you get a water stone, probably best to stick to a reputable brand. Even better, use a reputable vendor, who won't sell you a crap stone and will likely be able to give you some good advice if needed.
 
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