I recently got this. So far i like it.
Coarse synthetic stones in 2023
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For coarse I use what works. Nanohone 200, Sigma 240, Cerax 320 tend to do a fine job by me. I throw ugly blades to the Pink Brick, occasionally a Pride 220. I guess what helps is that I rarely do these, or otherwise very difficult to grind steels. But when I do I can make do.
Trying one of the higher end coarse from Suehiro definitely on my list. But I'm not expecting much miracles anymore - especially as I don't put as much stock into sheer speed anymore as a relative amount of feedback and straightforwardness of use and maintenance.
Still, everytime these threads circulate, I read avidly, hoping for miracle reporting.
For coarse I use what works. Nanohone 200, Sigma 240, Cerax 320 tend to do a fine job by me. I throw ugly blades to the Pink Brick, occasionally a Pride 220. I guess what helps is that I rarely do these, or otherwise very difficult to grind steels. But when I do I can make do.
Trying one of the higher end coarse from Suehiro definitely on my list. But I'm not expecting much miracles anymore - especially as I don't put as much stock into sheer speed anymore as a relative amount of feedback and straightforwardness of use and maintenance.
Still, everytime these threads circulate, I read avidly, hoping for miracle reporting.
I've been churning through a LOT of coarse synthetics recently trying to find what I like. Here are some of my thoughts:
Nanohone Diamond Resin 200u / 100u
Despite the weird feedback, these stones don't dish and don't glaze and require just a small splash of water. They cut steel and clad evenly and are good for precise work as they don't produce much slurry or dish leading to crisp grinding for bevels. The bad is that they are nowhere near as coarse in behavior as the micron rating suggests. I think the 200 behaves more like a 400 grit stone and the 100 maybe as fine as 800 grit. These would not be my first choice for grinding but they do a great job cleaning scratches from true coarse stones and leaving a nice base finish, particularly on mono steel.
NSK Hakuto Series 400
Very, very good! This is the best balance I've found so far of precision and speed. Better feeling than harder vits or diamond resin but still much more manageable than a soft coarse trad synthetic. I'll be picking up the 200 soon and have heard it suffers from less of the compromises the Kyokuha at 200 grit does.
NSK Kyokuha 200
When it works it works very well, but I've had issues with keeping the surface well conditioned in longer sessions, which is a bit of a pain. I'd personally stick to the Hakuto series based on my limited experience.
JKI Pink Brick
Not great, not terrible. For something cheap and for someone who's more interested in periodic maintenance thinning vs polishing or precise grinding a great option I'd happily recommend.
Debado 180
Great... if you get a good one. Ideally they're fairly hard but without terrible glazing and cut quickly. Some dishing, some glazing, but all things considered a good balance between the too with no characteristic being extreme. Manageable scratch pattern for something this coarse. The problem is they're inconsistent stone to stone and sometimes within the same stone. I and others have experienced this which makes me hesitate to recommend it.
Kasfly sandpaper holder
I know some people swear by it, but I find it a bid fiddly given the need to trim and mount paper. I also had issues with maintaining crisp shinogi or shoulders as I was grinding away. Given the right user and application though I can definitely see the use case for this.
Shapton Glass 220
If you're limited to splash and go, don't want something as coarse as the Debado 180, and don't want to splurge on diamonds this I think is a good option.
Nanohone Diamond Resin 200u / 100u
Despite the weird feedback, these stones don't dish and don't glaze and require just a small splash of water. They cut steel and clad evenly and are good for precise work as they don't produce much slurry or dish leading to crisp grinding for bevels. The bad is that they are nowhere near as coarse in behavior as the micron rating suggests. I think the 200 behaves more like a 400 grit stone and the 100 maybe as fine as 800 grit. These would not be my first choice for grinding but they do a great job cleaning scratches from true coarse stones and leaving a nice base finish, particularly on mono steel.
NSK Hakuto Series 400
Very, very good! This is the best balance I've found so far of precision and speed. Better feeling than harder vits or diamond resin but still much more manageable than a soft coarse trad synthetic. I'll be picking up the 200 soon and have heard it suffers from less of the compromises the Kyokuha at 200 grit does.
NSK Kyokuha 200
When it works it works very well, but I've had issues with keeping the surface well conditioned in longer sessions, which is a bit of a pain. I'd personally stick to the Hakuto series based on my limited experience.
JKI Pink Brick
Not great, not terrible. For something cheap and for someone who's more interested in periodic maintenance thinning vs polishing or precise grinding a great option I'd happily recommend.
Debado 180
Great... if you get a good one. Ideally they're fairly hard but without terrible glazing and cut quickly. Some dishing, some glazing, but all things considered a good balance between the too with no characteristic being extreme. Manageable scratch pattern for something this coarse. The problem is they're inconsistent stone to stone and sometimes within the same stone. I and others have experienced this which makes me hesitate to recommend it.
Kasfly sandpaper holder
I know some people swear by it, but I find it a bid fiddly given the need to trim and mount paper. I also had issues with maintaining crisp shinogi or shoulders as I was grinding away. Given the right user and application though I can definitely see the use case for this.
Shapton Glass 220
If you're limited to splash and go, don't want something as coarse as the Debado 180, and don't want to splurge on diamonds this I think is a good option.
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Great. I have experience only with the SG220, JKI Pink and Debado 180 and echo your impressions (I'd chose the SG220 among those).
NSK Hakuto 400 - do you feel it's true to its grit, in terms of speed?
As fast as my 220 pink brick I think not as fast as debado
sounds good! maybe the 200 from the same series works best for serious thinning but the 400 also seems capable?
I think the 400 would do minor thinning pretty well. If you’re crazy like me and do a lot of restorations and bevel polishing I think the 200 is worth adding too.
Miyamoto Musashi
Well-Known Member
Which hardness level did you pick for the Hakuto?
400s, great and fast and feels fairly good. I’d maybe get one a little firmer next time
How do you like the Chosera 400, Ed?
Can't say I have much experience with that one. I really like the Gesshin 400 as far as synthetic coarse stones go though.
I've bought 4 debado 180 and can not believe the variation stone to stone. One very hard, two very soft. One is very very good. Not too much glazing, manageable dishing. Nice even scratch patter that is easy to progress from.
Unfortunately I'm sharpening all day every day, so the one stone I actually like won't be with us much longer.
I purchased these all at the same time, from the same source. Very disappointing.
Miyamoto Musashi
Well-Known Member
I wonder if the one I have is bad.
It probably is, it glazes a lot and requires frequent lapping.
I had that issue with my 200 until I got the surfaced properly conditioned. I used 60 grit SIC and granite to flatten the surface and uncover a lot of abrasive. Only requires that treatment every hour or so of use now.
Thanks, considering to grab a 400 stone but there're really quite some options. hmmm
+1. can’t go wrong with Gesshin stones
^Seconded. The Gesshin 400 is a great stone.
Burnt through the first stone of my Nanohone 70 micron brick. Stone dishes pretty fast, but also continuously releases abrasive so you never really have to resurface except to flatten. So if you’re good at using the whole surface evenly, you get a lot more life/value out of the stone. Eats metal quickly, slows down a little when thinning stainless, but not as bad as some other coarse stones. You don’t need to apply a ton of pressure while thinning either.
Very good stone for hogging off some steel in my opinion, but dishes a little too fast for precise bevel work. I like how the surface continuously refreshes so the stone doesn’t clog or lose cutting power over time, but a single stone is a little pricy considering how fast you can burn through it. But if you don’t like having to resurface your stone x amount of times per thinning session, the Nanohone is really nice.
https://www.baryonyxknife.com/bambest.html
This one is a soaker and is harder so you need to prep the surface first
https://www.gritomatic.com/products/8-x-3-silicon-carbide-sharpening-stone
This one is a soaker and is softer so no surface prep is needed
SiC stones are very preferable at such a low grit because you do not have to worry about ever cutting too deep due to how Sic works in the first place (ie the particles break into smaller pieces)
These stones are ultra consistent, very affordable, and leave a superior scratch pattern
Now if you want something even faster and easier you need to open your mind and consider loose abrasives
https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Powd...=100+micron+diamond,aps,206&sr=8-9&th=1&psc=1
Loose diamond powder, ultra fast, ultra easy, the fact that it is free will help prevent the diamonds from cutting too deep and helps them cut faster and easier. You can keep reusing the diamonds again and again, you just need to collect them during and after use.
This one is a soaker and is harder so you need to prep the surface first
https://www.gritomatic.com/products/8-x-3-silicon-carbide-sharpening-stone
This one is a soaker and is softer so no surface prep is needed
SiC stones are very preferable at such a low grit because you do not have to worry about ever cutting too deep due to how Sic works in the first place (ie the particles break into smaller pieces)
These stones are ultra consistent, very affordable, and leave a superior scratch pattern
Now if you want something even faster and easier you need to open your mind and consider loose abrasives
https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Powd...=100+micron+diamond,aps,206&sr=8-9&th=1&psc=1
Loose diamond powder, ultra fast, ultra easy, the fact that it is free will help prevent the diamonds from cutting too deep and helps them cut faster and easier. You can keep reusing the diamonds again and again, you just need to collect them during and after use.
anyone tried these two? never heard of them before checking the Karasu sale...
https://karasu-knives.com/products/laeaa-140-220
https://karasu-knives.com/products/lbeaa-020-150
https://karasu-knives.com/products/laeaa-140-220
https://karasu-knives.com/products/lbeaa-020-150
The #150 is a very alluring prospect 
https://karasu-knives.com/products/...10593&pr_ref_pid=6040275288225&pr_seq=uniform
This one is supposed to be faster than SP1K
https://karasu-knives.com/products/...10593&pr_ref_pid=6040275288225&pr_seq=uniform
This one is supposed to be faster than SP1K
