Quick Notes: FSK Kotei vitrified Diamond whetstones 400 1000 3000 5000

[Scriptabit]

I have been collecting these over the past 6 months and just wanted to throw a few notes out for people who are considering them.

Historial Perspective:
I'm just a home cook who fell down a rabbit hole, as I suspect many forum members are. My previous sharpening whetstones were various Gesshin soaking and splash and go models in grits from 400 to 6000. I had a complete set of soaking and splash and go and also the "Synth Natural" and maido 2000 stones. I found the splash and go more convenient, but preferred the feedback on the soaking stones.


I have some magnacut knives with more on order, and found that they were taking longer to sharpen than my SG2/R2/AEB-L/SKD12 knives. I decided to bite the bullet and get vitrified diamond so I wouldn't have to spend as much time flattening stones and I would know that the abrasive was going to be consistently effective for my knives.

All of the FSK stones are great. They have a consistent scratch pattern, there is no visible wear on them after many uses, and they don't load while you are sharpening. I'm able to sharpen all of my knives faster and they have surprisingly good feedback. I'd say the soaking stones had better feedback, but the FSK actually has better feedback than my Gesshin splash and go whetstones. Don't expect to work up a slurry for polishing - they aren't built that way. I do find that the lower grits can be a little finicky when deburring - but that is likely a skill issue.

Overall assessment:

If I had to do it over again, I'd only buy the 1000/3000.

Why?

400: The 400 is a great stone, but honestly at that low a grit it's hard to justify an expensive stone like this. Unless you really want to pay for a low maintenance stone.

1000: I use the 1000 more often as I don't typically damage my knives while cooking. It's rare that I need to go down to a 400 to fix my knives.

3000: The 3000 is straight up magical. I have never gotten a better edge on my kitchen knives. Full stop.

5000: Nothing wrong with the stone, but the edge lacks bite. It's too refined for kitchen work in my experience. The 3000 leaves an amazing edge. I used to finish on either the maido 2000 or the gesshin synth natural (variable grit whetstone: likely 4k-6k) depending on the edge I wanted. The FSK 3000 is the perfect balance between them and I use it for all of my knives now. I had a Gesshin 3000 splash and go - but never really liked it.

Please don't take this as a hit on the Gesshin whetstone series. I enjoyed all of them for many years, with the exception of the splash and go 3000. They are not the same tier (or price point) as the FSK vitrified though.

 

[aporigine]

I have been collecting these over the past 6 months and just wanted to throw a few notes out for people who are considering them.

Historial Perspective:
I'm just a home cook who fell down a rabbit hole, as I suspect many forum members are. My previous sharpening whetstones were various Gesshin soaking and splash and go models in grits from 400 to 6000. I had a complete set of soaking and splash and go and also the "Synth Natural" and maido 2000 stones. I found the splash and go more convenient, but preferred the feedback on the soaking stones.


I have some magnacut knives with more on order, and found that they were taking longer to sharpen than my SG2/R2/AEB-L/SKD12 knives. I decided to bite the bullet and get vitrified diamond so I wouldn't have to spend as much time flattening stones and I would know that the abrasive was going to be consistently effective for my knives.

All of the FSK stones are great. They have a consistent scratch pattern, there is no visible wear on them after many uses, and they don't load while you are sharpening. I'm able to sharpen all of my knives faster and they have surprisingly good feedback. I'd say the soaking stones had better feedback, but the FSK actually has better feedback than my Gesshin splash and go whetstones. Don't expect to work up a slurry for polishing - they aren't built that way. I do find that the lower grits can be a little finicky when deburring - but that is likely a skill issue.

Overall assessment:

If I had to do it over again, I'd only buy the 1000/3000.

Why?

400: The 400 is a great stone, but honestly at that low a grit it's hard to justify an expensive stone like this. Unless you really want to pay for a low maintenance stone.

1000: I use the 1000 more often as I don't typically damage my knives while cooking. It's rare that I need to go down to a 400 to fix my knives.

3000: The 3000 is straight up magical. I have never gotten a better edge on my kitchen knives. Full stop.

5000: Nothing wrong with the stone, but the edge lacks bite. It's too refined for kitchen work in my experience. The 3000 leaves an amazing edge. I used to finish on either the maido 2000 or the gesshin synth natural (variable grit whetstone: likely 4k-6k) depending on the edge I wanted. The FSK 3000 is the perfect balance between them and I use it for all of my knives now. I had a Gesshin 3000 splash and go - but never really liked it.

Please don't take this as a hit on the Gesshin whetstone series. I enjoyed all of them for many years, with the exception of the splash and go 3000. They are not the same tier (or price point) as the FSK vitrified though.

I’m captivated by (getting) the 200 as a thinning or reprofiling heavy lifter.
I’d like your opinion on if I’m thinking about it right.

 

[Scriptabit]

I’m captivated by (getting) the 200 as a thinning or reprofiling heavy lifter.
I’d like your opinion on if I’m thinking about it right.

The 400 is the lowest grit that FSK makes I believe (though I think they mention in their documentation that it is effectively closer to a 200 grit).

That being said - I thinned a knife using the 400, and what I found was that thinning knives without power tools is not worth it lol.

 

[aporigine]

The 400 is the lowest grit that FSK makes I believe (though I think they mention in their documentation that it is effectively closer to a 200 grit).

That being said - I thinned a knife using the 400, and what I found was that thinning knives without power tools is not worth it lol.

Somehow, with power tools, the margin between just right and oh, no is like ten seconds. I prefer to creep glacially into my mistakes.

 

[Scriptabit]

Somehow, with power tools, the margin between just right and oh, no is like ten seconds. I prefer to creep glacially into my mistakes.

I can understand/empathize with this sentiment. Unfortunately life seems very busy lately, so I also understand/empathize with the statement "Ain't nobody got time for dat!".

 

[Rangen]

Thanks for this. I have the 400, 1K, and 3K (if we assume that the BBB-sold stones are FSK), and have wound up in a similar place. The 400 was OK for thinning, but I preferred friable stones, along with wishing for a magic stone that would do better than them all.

For my pocketknives, which is where I explore exotic steels, I use nothing else now, mostly sticking to the 1K. It makes Maxamet and ZDP-189 and S110V as easy to sharpen as normal steels.

I don't use the FSKs for kitchen knives, but only because I don't buy exotic steel kitchen knives, and I have lots of other stones that are far more fun to sharpen carbon on. Well, I guess I do use them for crappy stainless steel and Global, because there is no sharpening fun to be had there, and the FSKs at least minimize the frustration level.

 

[Keithpaints]

I agree to much of your observation. Have couple Magnacut chef Knives, K390 & other tough folders. The K390 is very good steel, I keep mine oiled saying they are semi stainless is an understatement. I like thin behind the edge blades so end up thinning many of my blades esp. Folders I'm not punching through old car hoods. I like Vitrified Diamond stones. Used to thin using diamond plates. So recent got this. Also have JKI 1K &6K. Could get really sharp edges refining on 6K go clean through paper towel, but not enough bite for food esp. tomatoes. A 3K might be better finishing. Now im finishing on 1K Magnacut cuts tomatoes well for quite a while. Just thinned some folders & chef knife with this new 400 diamond stone.

 

[refcast]

The fsk 400 has been my main thinning stone and has been sorta worth it, more on the worth it side but it's kinda both. Takes a lot of pressure or recondition conditioning to cut fast for thinning, for edge setting sharpening it works well. finish 3000 grit resin diamond, JKI. I had a 6k but wouldn't use it often.

 

[Keithpaints]

I use my Kalamazoo 1X42 belt sander & bucket of water for cheap stainless & old vintage carbon like Forgecraft. Thinned Forgecraft Chef knife good looking bang for the buck old carbon blade. Boning knives are good too.