Sharpening Supplies water stones - anyone have any experience with them?

[JWK1]

I'm looking to get a stone or two in the near future. I saw these on their website, but really can't find much info on the web about them. Does anyone have any experience with them? How fast they cut, how their grits compare to other makes, how long they last, how you liked them in general; things like that.

I was thinking of getting two stones. In the shapton pro line, I was thinking 1500, but they don't have any 320 or 220 in stock. Also the shapton stones are 5/8" thick, while the Sharpening Supplies stones are a full 1" thick. Depending on how they wear, that could make a difference in the long run. The SS stones go 800, 1000, and 3000 in the medium range. The 1000 is out of stock right now. Would it be too much of a jump to go 800 then 3000? I really don't want to get into any of the polishing stones at this point and I don't know how the 3000 stone fits. I could get a SS stone in 800 and a SP stone in 1500.

Thoughts about this or any other suggestions in this price range?

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I don't have an answer on the Sharpening Supplies stones. But I was looking around this morning and remembered that CKTG has Shapton Pro 320's in stock.

 

[daveb]

As knives and knife sharpening becomes more popular (and a growing market) there are more companies releasing product to try and get some market share. I'm not saying some quality product may result but what I've seen thus far (i.e. Happy Pebble or some such rot) has been crap. I would stay with the tried and true that have good reputations for a reason. Amazon has a lot of Shapton. MTC does as well. For soakers, can't do better than Gesshin. I've not used any of the Naniwa (sp?) stones but many like them.

 

[DHunter86]

If you're looking to get from Sharpening Supplies, ask them how their stones compare to the Naniwa, Suehiro and King stones (since these are soakers). They carry the full range anyway. And make sure they stand by their products with possibly a replacement guanrantee.

 

[KingShapton]

The description and the color of the stones remind me of another series, this one is also "American Made".

I would guess that these stones are relabeled stones from "Pride Abrasives". The various formats offered would also speak for this.

Unfortunately, these stones are not that widespread and there are almost no testimonials about them.

On YouTube there is a Youtuber who made a video about the stones from Sharpening Supplies and also about the stones from Pride Abrasives. But I don't remember the name.

Because these stones are hardly known, it becomes a lottery game. The stones can be very good ... or they may not. An advantage would be that you can share your experiences here with all of us ...

If it is your first stone then I would go for known good stones from a quality manufacturer.

You can get Shapton Pros from many providers.

The SS are completely different from the Shaptons, so I don't think mixing the two series is a good idea. Especially since the SS polish higher than the specified grits.

Maybe Shapton Pro # 1000 and Shapton Pro # 2000 would be an alternative?

If it's your first stones then I would only take the Pro # 1500 first. With it you can practice and see how you get along with the stone. If you like it, you can always reorder the # 320.

Otherwise, as others have said, there are plenty of alternatives from well-known manufacturers.

 

[JWK1]

On YouTube there is a Youtuber who made a video about the stones from Sharpening Supplies and also about the stones from Pride Abrasives. But I don't remember the name.

The SS are completely different from the Shaptons, so I don't think mixing the two series is a good idea. Especially since the SS polish higher than the specified grits.

Maybe Shapton Pro # 1000 and Shapton Pro # 2000 would be an alternative?

If it's your first stones then I would only take the Pro # 1500 first. With it you can practice and see how you get along with the stone. If you like it, you can always reorder the # 320.

Otherwise, as others have said, there are plenty of alternatives from well-known manufacturers.

I will search for those videos, just for curiosity's sake. I take everything on U-tube with a block of salt.

So now I realize how ignorant I am about water stones. Soakers and Splash 'n Go are two very different kinds of stones? Now I need to research and find the pros and cons.

Wouldn't the 320 going to 1500 be too much of a jump?

What is considered the highest grit that is practical for general use? From the searching I have done, I am under the impression that the 1500 would be very good as a final stone for my raw protein cutting. How high do you go for veggie cutting before it's more looks than function?

 

[Runner_up]

I finish a lot of stainless kitchen knives on a shapton pro 1.5k and then leather strop.

Nice toothy edge that will last and is great for kitchen work.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I will search for those videos, just for curiosity's sake. I take everything on U-tube with a block of salt.

So now I realize how ignorant I am about water stones. Soakers and Splash 'n Go are two very different kinds of stones? Now I need to research and find the pros and cons.

Wouldn't the 320 going to 1500 be too much of a jump?

What is considered the highest grit that is practical for general use? From the searching I have done, I am under the impression that the 1500 would be very good as a final stone for my raw protein cutting. How high do you go for veggie cutting before it's more looks than function?

It's possible that @KingShapton is thinking about Jef Jewell. It's sounds like the kind of stuff he'd experiment with.

No that isn't too much of a jump and as said, you might really like the 1.5k.

 

[tostadas]

Shaptons are extremely slow wearing. I'd highly recommend the 1k and 2k with no reservations. Splash & Go, fast cutting, slow wearing, and the box doubles as a sharpening base. The 1k is coarser than 1k, and the 2k is finer than 2k. For general use, you don't really NEED any more than these 2 stones.

 

[KingShapton]

Wouldn't the 320 going to 1500 be too much of a jump?

When we talk about the Shapton Pros, the jump isn't too big, it is actually intended.

I am under the impression that the 1500 would be very good as a final stone for my raw protein cutting.

Your impression is absolutely correct!

How high do you go for veggie cutting before it's more looks than function?

Synthetic Stones?! 3k - 5k. Often, however, a really well-finished cutting edge with 2000 grit is more than enough.

 

[Kawa]

Also, don't worry too much about the thickness of the stones.
The stones you buy now will all survive you (dont drop them to prove me wrong )

Even if you start using them all day every day, you are talking years from now for them to wear out.
The only exception may be <500 stones, since you use them fairly long if the knive is damaged and they are quite aggresive in use.

 

[Kawa]

And maybe, but I guess some might argue otherwise, this:

You read a lot that you should master the 1k stone, or a 1k edge can be/should be razor sharp. This didnt account for me when I started. I think this is a phrase for everyone but really new sharpeners.
When I started I got a lot of extra sharpness from higher gritt stones, simly because I wasnt good enough to have a straight, clean edge. The refined high gritt edge simply made my horrible edge sharper then that horrible coarse 1k edge.
You will get a knive sharper then before you start sharpening but skill comes with time, not by 'only stopping when your 1k edge is razor sharp'. You simply wont get there the first dozen of knives (or whatever, hours, weeks, a long time)

This might be a reason to buy a higher gritt stone from the beginning. Sharper knives gives more satisfaction = more fun = more motivation to get better.