JNS 6000 Matukusuyama vs Gesshin Diamond 6000 Stone Kit

[Nife]

I want to purchase a fine grit stone that is splash and go. Currently the two stones that I am considering are the Gesshin Diamond 6000 grit, and the JNS 6000 Matukusuyama.
I probably won't get the Gesshin 6000 grit splash and go because it is a resinoid stone, and I have read that it requires care, especially when drying. I need a stone that is less likely to crack or break. I don't have trouble caring for my current Shapton stones.

The Gesshin Diamond 6000 sounds very appealing to me. I have heard that it cuts approximately 25% or so faster than other stones, and leaves a good toothy edge on kitchen knives. It is necessary to flatten high spots with its Nagura, which for me will be at the ends of the stone. I am happy if I can just get a knife sharp, and I do not have the skills to worry about using all parts of the stone equally. Is it very easy to effectively grind the high spots and to keep the stone relatively flat. I have read that the stone would very rarely need a complete flattening job, with a special diamond flattening plate.

The MNS 6000 grit splash and go stone also gets outstanding reviews for users. It also sounds like it is an excellent stone for stropping kitchen knives between sharpenings. I live in the United States, and the Gesshin Diamond stone appeals very much to me, I don't know which one would be best for me.

The opinions of people who have used these stones would be greatly appreciated.

 

[_PixelNinja]

For what it's worth, the JNS 6000 is a resinoid stone. According to people having used the two, the JNS 6000 and Gesshin 6000 are very close.

 

[daveb]

I think either would be a good choice. What works for me is to have a JNS Synthetic Aoto (and a JNS 1.2K) at work or close by in the truck, for touch ups and finished edges on Gyuto etc. Easy to care for, not to pricey if it grows "legs" and most importantly does a nice job. I have a G6K and thought a lot about the JNS 6K but in the end the JNS Aoto will provide all the finish I need, especially for touchups.

I also have the Gesshin Diamond Plates that I use at home. Like them a lot. I prefer the feel of soaker stones but like a lot of us here my time is at a premium and for most sharpening I just want to get 'er done. So the soakers sit in boxes and the plates get wet.

A couple things you mentioned reading about do not reflect my experience at all.

My G6K does not require any more (or any less) care than the JNS S&G. It dries just as quickly as the JNS products and I've never felt I had to baby it. I would guess the Gesshin S&G and JNS S&G are constructed in a similar manner and of similar materials.

The nagura supplied with the diamond plate is to scrub off crud build up and not to flatten the plate. I can't imagine "high spots" on the stone - it's just not the way it's built. Don't think it will ever need a complete flattening job nor special flatteniny plate.

For your requirements it sounds like the Gesshin plate is the "easy button". No muss, no fuss. And if you're experience is like mine you'll likely retire some of your others. And you may as well get both of them ya know...

Good luck.

 

[Nife]

I am confident that both are excellent stones. Does the JNS 6000 require special care. I let my stones dry by leaving them on a table. I do not wrap them in wet towels, and I haven't had any problems drying Shapton stones. I have assumed that the JNS stone might be less prone to drying issues since I haven't read anything indicating that they need special care.

 

[_PixelNinja]

The thing with resinoid stones is that you have to either use them as S&G stones or as permasoakers (I use mine as the latter). It's the drying part which is delicate and when problems can occur. If you ever leave a resinoid stone to soak enough to absorb water, you will need to dry it as slowly as possible.

Since you intend to use the JNS 6000 as a S&G stone, as long a you don't leave it to soak, you should be fine.

 

[daveb]

Mine live on a shelf, sitting on mesh shelf liner when not in use. Goes there right after using.

 

[Smurfmacaw]

I have the diamond plates from JKI and really like them since they basically don't dish at all and are always ready to go. I'm not sure I'd call them any faster than other stones, in my experience my Gesshin 2000 permasoaker is as fast as the 1000 grit diamond (or a shapton glass 1000). Big advantage is it's always flat and ready to go.

 

[Nife]

Thanks for the information. I will now choose between the Gesshin 6K splash and go and the 6K diamond plate, since the JNS and JKI 6K splash and go are similar. Is the finish on the 6K splash and go finer than the finish on the diamond plate, or are they similar?

 

[Marcelo Amaral]

I had a great experience with JKI diamond stones on those blades that are harder to sharpen due to steels being harder (not those cheap stainless steels). For cheap stainless steels, JNS 300 is my stone of choice. There are hard steels that are easy to sharpen, for instance Watanabe blue #2, but some others are not so (Tosho's Konosuke Fujiyama blue #1, for instance) and here is where i found JKI diamond stones shine.

 

[Steampunk]

Thanks for the information. I will now choose between the Gesshin 6K splash and go and the 6K diamond plate, since the JNS and JKI 6K splash and go are similar. Is the finish on the 6K splash and go finer than the finish on the diamond plate, or are they similar?

I can't comment on how the G6K S&G compares with the Gesshin sintered diamond plates... However, I have read that the JNS 6K is a little harder than the Gesshin 6K S&G, which is an important feature to consider.

I own the G6K S&G, and it's a good stone, but I can tell you now that I wouldn't personally classify this stone as a 'true' Splash & Go... Jon permasoaks his, and there is a very good reason for that: as a splash & go, it loads up quickly, absorbs some water (Quite a bit of splashing required, and slow drying.), cutting speed is just 'okay', and it creates kind of a streaky finish on wide bevels. As a permasoaker, it works great: holds water well, doesn't load readily, cuts fast, and creates a nice mud/even finish with decent contrast (Great polish on the hagane, actually.).

It's a medium-hard (S&G) to medium-soft (Permasoaked) stone; it responds best to a very light touch (Not good if you're a high-pressure sharpener, as you'll induce some convexity to the edge.), and you can get a little bit of slurry dulling on softer knives (<60hrc) if you're not very careful. It's not bad on my harder carbons (62-63hrc), and is actually really nice on PM stainless (64-65hrc). The edge it leaves - for me - is about as refined as you'd ever want to throw at a Gyuto; it still has a little bit of bite, but any smoother than this and you'll start losing cutting efficiency. It leaves a very consistent scratch pattern, though, and is a nice stepping stone to a 1-micron pasted strop if you want to go that direction.

From what I've read, the G6K diamond is a little bit toothier, and since it's harder and doesn't really slurry you'll be able to use more pressure without fear of losing your edge crispness. The G6K S&G is a little more versatile, though, if you don't mind soaking, as it can also be used to finish wide or single bevel knives, and it does have a nice, creamy feel if that's important to you. The JNS 6K - if the reviews of it being harder hold true - might be a little bit better if you still want that versatility, but are a higher-pressure sharpener. Just for touching-up edge-bevels on double-bevel knives, though, I can see why people might feel that the G6K Diamond is a winner, though...

Hopefully this helps...

- Steampunk

P.S. Just to throw another option in for you to ponder: have you considered a natural? They typically wear pretty slowly, are true splash & go, and maintain their toothiness even at finer 'grits'... Naturals have lots of personality to learn, so you will have a learning curve, but they certainly have some advantages, and are really fun to use. On simpler steels, like Shirogami and Ginsanko, I really enjoy my J-Nats, and on steels with harder and more complex carbide structures like Aogami or even PM stainless, I'm a big fan of Belgian Blue's and Coticules. If you shop around, you can try a useably sized example of either for <$100. Just an idea...

 

[daveb]

Nife - Forum rules, policies, decorum and all that stuff pretty much preclude Jon (JKI) from responding to your queries within this thread. Suggest that a phone call to JKI or posing your question on the JKI sub-forum here would get you the most knowledgeable response.

 

[Nife]

Just ordered 6K Diamond Plate. Thanks for the information. In the future, I probably will get the JNS Aoto.

 

[adam92]

The thing with resinoid stones is that you have to either use them as S&G stones or as permasoakers (I use mine as the latter). It's the drying part which is delicate and when problems can occur. If you ever leave a resinoid stone to soak enough to absorb water, you will need to dry it as slowly as possible.

Since you intend to use the JNS 6000 as a S&G stone, as long a you don't leave it to soak, you should be fine.

Do you haved experience with Arashiyama 6000?