looking to upgrade my sharpening gear; Recommendations

[kostantinos]

As always i am turning to the forums for some help.

Currently i have and use these stones:

500 SHAPTON GLASS
1000 SHAPTON GLASS
4000 SHAPTON GLASS
8000 SHAPTON GLASS

Arashiyama
500 bester
800 King ( special note this is the best synthetic stone for kasumi as per DAVE and he is absolutely right)

I am fortunate enough to use a couple of NANIWA from my other chefs kit . The sushi chefs i work with at this concept now use a 3 stone progression but i am amazed to how much they don't flatten their stones. :bigeek:There is also a 30k glass stone from a chefs kit as well.

Here is the deal:

I want to reduce the stone set up into a 4 stone progression and would like to see the benefits of strops in sharpening and maintenance of my edges. I do not tell my knifes ever thus the lack of a honing rod .That doesn't mean it has to be a 4 stone set up though.

What do you have in your progression that you are extremely happy with that works well with carbon steels and stainless?I am open to suggestions on both synthetic stones and naturals. My interest in synthetics covers all the bases in a sense my interest in naturals is geared towards getting more up close to carbon steel single bevels.

So what do you think?

 

[Livlif]

Best of the best!!!

Naniwa Chosera Pro 400
Naniwa Chosera Pro 1000
Naniwa Chosera Pro 5000
Naniwa Chosera Pro 10000

 

[chinacats]

Keep the King (for kasumi) and go with a Gesshin 400, 2k and 6k. You can find them as a set here.

And don't get bad habits from the people who don't flatten their stones. That is either lazy or bad training (even if they have very sharp knives).

 

[kostantinos]

well i am their bosses Boss but don't intervene as much. It is weird to me both sushi guys i seen so far don't flatten their stones religiously all the time so i am not sure what is considered flat enough by them .

I am thinking about the Jinzo aoto from jon as a medium /pre finishing stone addition.
So far here are stones i been looking at
Gesshin 400s 1000 6000

The chosera is nice but only seen 400 so far

What about stroping ? I must admit i never went down that line and i believe that this will add a significant improvement to my maintenance and edge life of my blades.

 

[chinacats]

well i am their bosses Boss but don't intervene as much. It is weird to me both sushi guys i seen so far don't flatten their stones religiously all the time so i am not sure what is considered flat enough by them .

I am thinking about the Jinzo aoto from jon as a medium /pre finishing stone addition.
So far here are stones i been looking at
Gesshin 400s 1000 6000

The chosera is nice but only seen 400 so far

What about stroping ? I must admit i never went down that line and i believe that this will add a significant improvement to my maintenance and edge life of my blades.

You can strop on your finishing stone--or if you'd just like to experiment Dave M and Marko T both offer a nice felt strop.

 

[Livlif]

Why do you all like Gesshin so much?

 

[James]

Jon sells some very awesome products

 

[Livlif]

I understand that he sells good products. But what is so good about those stones. Like how do they compare to Shapton pros or naniwa chosera pros? Are the hard and slow wearing or softer stones? Fast cutting? No offense. I'm just interested to know what makes them so good. I'm always up for trying new stones. Lol

 

[chinacats]

Jon sells stones designed specifically for knives while other stone makers are trying to hit a sweet spot to be used on tools, razors and knives.

 

[Livlif]

Jon sells stones designed specifically for knives while other stone makers are trying to hit a sweet spot to be used on tools, razors and knives.

Cool. Thanks.

 

[Benuser]

If I had to do it over again I would buy the Chosera -- Naniwa Pro -- 400, 800, 3k and the Naniwa Junpaku 8k AKA Snow-white. I now have the Chosera 400, 800, 2k, 5k and said 8k, but don't like the 5k. Too soft and too expensive.

 

[SolidSnake03]

Just curious Benuser, why do you prefer the 800 over the 1k? Do you find the 800 to be superior in some way? the reason I ask is that I see the 400, 1k and 3k bundled together as a set by Knives and Stones and have heard quite a few recommendations for this set.

Thanks!

 

[Benuser]

Just curious Benuser, why do you prefer the 800 over the 1k? Do you find the 800 to be superior in some way? the reason I ask is that I see the 400, 1k and 3k bundled together as a set by Knives and Stones and have heard quite a few recommendations for this set.

Thanks!

Never tried the 1k. I bought the 800 years ago when the 1k was out of stock. There's here a recent comparison of both. Please be aware that the 800 has a 1200 finish, so for the 1000 expect a JIS1500. That said, I like the 800's extreme versatility. From setting bevels, thinning soft carbons, to a great start of a progression with notorious difficult steels. With the 800 you may perhaps skip the 400. But again, never tried the 1k.

 

[Livlif]

The naniwa chosera pro 1k definitely has a higher finish. I would put it around or just below what Benuser said. The 400 is a beautiful stone and I really enjoy using it. It cuts fast, stays flat and has a really nice scratch pattern. I love the 1k as well and use them both together frequently. I have never tried the 3k tho. I usually move up from the 1k to a Suehiro Rika 5k.

 

[Benuser]

Great to know, thanks!

 

[SolidSnake03]

Thanks for that info guys! Found the thread about the 800 and 1k, appreciate it.

 

[kostantinos]

feedback on Gesshin Stones from the guys that use them Please ?

What do you consider best in its grit level too? I hear awesome things about the Gesshins but would love to hear from people that use them especially from the restaurant /pro s that possibly have them .

 

[ThEoRy]

I have the 400 and the Jinzo aoto. The 400 cuts super fast, dishes slow but not beston 500 slow, leaves an even scratch pattern and has an amazing feel and feedback. The Jinzo aoto is great for putting a bitey edge in the 2-3k range but I like it best for single bevel knives following a king 800 for a nice even "kasumi" finish.

 

[Steverino]

I've had the Gesshin 400, 2000, 6000 set for about five months and have really been enjoying all three stones. My previous favorite set was the Beston 500, Bester 1200 and Chosera 5000, although I do have other stones. For me, the 400 feels better than any coarse stone I've used. It's smoother, isn't as scratchy feeling as the Beston and cuts very fast with reasonable dishing. The 2000 is the same. It is smooth, cuts fast, doesn't dish much and leaves a really nice finish. I also like the 6000 a lot. It's harder than the Chosera, which I like for a finishing stone, without being too hard. It's not anywhere near as hard as the Shaptons I've used and has a much better feel. Since I've been using these, I get my sharpening done a lot more quickly and using them is more pleasurable. Also, if you get the three piece set it's a great bargain. Nothing against the other stones which served me well for years. I just like the Gesshins better.