Recommendations...where to start?

[Horsemover]

Relatively new to Japanese knives but have sharpened other knives on various oil stones (Arkansas). I also have a Work Sharp KO that I have used on abused pocket knives. Based upon lots of reading I think I want to try the Shaptons. My current knives are stainless SG2/VG10 but that will be changing shortly as this forum has started me down the rabbit hole. Are the Shaptons a good place to start? I was thinking 500/1000/3000 and I know people seem to prefer the 500 double. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[BarryMM]

Shaptons are awesome. Shapton glass 500 and 2K is a pretty good start. Sharpened lots of knives with them.

 

[M1k3]

I'd definitely recommend the Glass 500 and Pro/Kuromaku/Traditional (whatever they labeled now) 2k. From there it's really a preference of how high of a grit you want to go.

 

[LostHighway]

Add another vote for the Shapton Glass 500 and the Pro/Kuromaku 2k. You probably don't really need to go above that with your current knives but should you want to Gesshin, and from what I've heard/read Morihei should be good options, or you can descend into the JNAT abyss. Above 2k is to some extent the realm of very fine grained steels like Shirogami, Aogami, 1095, 52100, O1,... and perhaps AEB-L/Nitro-V.

 

[Xenif]

+1 on the SG500/SP2k as Starter

 

[Horsemover]

Good stuff...thank you! Why does everyone like the Pro in the 2K? Only difference I can see is that it comes in a color coated case and is a tiny bit thicker. Prices are almost identical.

(Edit) I looked a little closer and it appears there are more differences between the pro and glass in terms of feel, grit, longevity, etc.

 

[M1k3]

I like it because it's refined enough for an all around finisher and feels good in use. Splash and go. Slow to dish. Releases just enough grit to not glaze.

 

[kayman67]

The more you look into this, the more you get lots of nuances that are important in a different way to different people for different needs.

Eventually I let the Shapton Pro 2k go and kept the Shapton Glass 2k. As far as I was able to see, it was just a little bit better here and there. Well, I replaced the Pro 2k with the 1.5k version and that made a lot more sense to me for various tasks.

Another 2k stone that really delivered for my needs, was the Naniwa Traditional 2k. You can read some stuff about it, a bit muddy coarser stone, more like naturals that most people love. Unfortunately in US seems a bit expensive. It's really cheap in Europe (cheaper than Pro 2k). Most Glass stones are more affordable in Europe as well, where they are on the same level with the Pro series.

I definitely like the Nanohone 400 more than Shapton Glass 500, even half a year later, but SG is a solid choice regardless.

The answer to your question is NO! Shaptons are not a good place to start the journey. Try something much softer for a while and develop techniques considering pressure and consistency. These stones will teach you in their own way that no Pro or Glass can.
And, for a while, use only a middle grit stone. A normal King or Suehiro will be best, but something like the Naniwa Traditional also is a nice place to start.

 

[KingShapton]

Since you already have experience with oil stones (Arkansas), I would consider Shapton Glass (and also Pro) to be a good choice.

I personally prefer hard stones, both synthetic and natural. The Shaptons, both series, are among my favorites. By the way, I also enjoy working with Arkansas stones in between.

the Glass 500 (thick)/1000/3000 would be a good setup for your current knives, maybe a little later (and with other knives/steels) the 6000.

Keep in mind that the Shaptons are significantly faster than Arkansas, much faster.

 

[KingShapton]

I have to add the glass 500 (thick) and the Pro 2000 will be a really good option too

 

[Horsemover]

Thanks for all the advice. Any recommendations on a stone holder/bridge? The Shapton holder gets pretty good reviews online but it seems you are locked in to their system with that. Some of the bridges are interesting. I would think with a higher quality sink bridge I would be keeping my options open for future additions. Do the Shaptons play well with bridges? Thoughts?

 

[kayman67]

Hm. In very little ways I used my arks and other oil stones the same as the Shaptons. Skipping steps has an impact on the long run. I see it almost every day even here. But to each his own, obviously.

Since you already have experience with oil stones (Arkansas), I would consider Shapton Glass (and also Pro) to be a good choice.

I personally prefer hard stones, both synthetic and natural. The Shaptons, both series, are among my favorites. By the way, I also enjoy working with Arkansas stones in between.

the Glass 500 (thick)/1000/3000 would be a good setup for your current knives, maybe a little later (and with other knives/steels) the 6000.

Keep in mind that the Shaptons are significantly faster than Arkansas, much faster.

 

[Horsemover]

.

 

[LiLimoon]

+1 for Shaptons. And I want to say that the best knives that my kitchen has seen are Japanese.
And I just love Japanese food. Especially cooking this food. I tried to cook it with a regular chef knife, but it was an awful idea. Then I realised that I need a special knife. I started to search for information. One of my friends told me to visit website about knives. There was an article about a chief and Santoku knives. I have read it and now I understand what went wrong. All this time I was using knife wrong. Even more, my kitchen was missing some special knives including Santoku. Now I have a full set, and it's much easier for me to cook my favorite Japanese food.