Soakers vs Splash-n-Go?

[HumbleHomeCook]

My stones are SnG. Am I missing anything by not having soakers?

 

[Rangen]

My stones are SnG. Am I missing anything by not having soakers?

Some extra feedback. And a chance to try some stones with different characteristics. The JKI soakers and the Naniwa Hibiki stones are two I'm really glad I have around, for different reasons.

 

[refcast]

soakers are more porous and so that porosity or mini 'edge' grabs onto the steel and iron more aggressively, and the spaces allow for the slurry to go to a bit as well. So, increased speed and feeling of cutting, and less burnishing. You can use less pressure for the same speed as a splash and go . . . generally speaking in my experience. Soakers dish faster though, usually

 

[Pie]

I’m not so sure the advantages of soakers outweigh having to be soaked for me.

I do have a cerax 320 I’m not super in love with, but it’s most likely I’m not doing it right.

 

[blokey]

I just perma soak mine, they are usually less glassy.

 

[Choppin]

I’m not so sure the advantages of soakers outweigh having to be soaked for me.

I do have a cerax 320 I’m not super in love with, but it’s most likely I’m not doing it right.

Yes. S&G for me as well. More convenient, less friable (less mess), less dishing…

 

[sansho]

i guess they feel prety nice, but i don't care anymore. i just want fast results with minimal mess and work. SnG diamond stones from here on out for me. and maybe eventually naturals since i'm pretty curious about those.

i should sell my JKI soaker set since i don't use them anymore...

 

[ethompson]

Splash and go usually aren’t thick enough to add some convexity to the stone if that’s something you ever wanted to do. I have both around.

 

[nakiriknaifuwaifu]

Splash and go usually aren’t thick enough to add some convexity to the stone if that’s something you ever wanted to do. I have both around.

You can certainly round shapton kuromaku or naniwa splash and go stones - and these are quite popular options as far as splash and go stones go

 

[ethompson]

I said usually, not always

 

[daveb]

Nats for the "Zen" of sharpening. Peace, tranquility, rightness of the world.

Soakers for the "zen" of sharpening. Little "z" but you can still use incantations.

Splash and Go to get er done.

Sharp Pebbles to throw through windows.

 

[gc0220]

You're missing... waiting for the stones to soak, making a huge mess, faster dishing/needing more flattening... But you're also missing a more traditional experience, and one which imho not only subjectively feels better and offers more subjective control but also works better in a great many use cases. The soakers have an level of feedback which means a level of control of what's happening down there that's hard to match on a splash and go. They also tend to cut very fast, which goes along with dishing faster. I also find there to be a lot of versatility, which you can also get on splash and go by playing around with pressure and slurry, but it's on another level with a soaker. You can play around with subtle adjustments to get a variety of end results in terms of finish and whatnot. I find it more pleasurable and perhaps easier to get more controlled and defined results with a good soaker. I'm just wary about using them on something like hap40 at 65+ rc, cuz I feel like the stone is gonna win the fight in the end but take a beating in the process. I'm probably missing and forgetting stuff as usual but I think that about sums it up.

The cool thing about something like the Naniwa Chosera/professional stones is they are like hybrids. Though they are magnesia bonded so they can not be permasoaked or anything like that, they do have the "vibe" of a soaking stone, and are quite thirsty. They take a lot of water and have a feel to them that for a supposed splash and go gets pretty close. It's like a hybrid is what I'd call it. As opposed to something like a shapton pro which even at the lower grits seems to absorb little to no water and is ready to go with just a splash. Te surface is too hard and maybe glassy for some people and some uses though. Shapton glass stones are also ready to go with just a splash, unlike choseras imo, but they also seem to "paradoxically" have a very nice feeling to them, even at higher grits. I think it comes down a very control way in which they break down and release particles. It seems to be happening in a very controlled way which makes a harder stone feel.. different. IDK if that made any sense.

 

[Lars]

I've had all of mine permasoaking in a bucket for 5+ years, but I'm lucky that I have space in the basement for a permanent setup. It's a joy and it doesn't get old. Appreciate it every time I sharpen. Hope I will never have to go back to splash and go..!

 

[MowgFace]

Personally I prefer everything about soaking stones, other than their need to soak which to me really is just a minor inconvenience.

That being said, my travel set is S&G mainly so I can hit the ground running when sharpening friends knives.

 

[cotedupy]

Am I missing anything by not having soakers?

Is the Pope a bear in the woods?!

Yes you're missing something, and here's for why... I reckon soaking stones are better, and I'm also infallible.

(Pope uses a 1k/3k Cerax combi btw. Does everything. It's all he needs for a divine edge in the Vatican kitchen.)

 

[cotedupy]

But the good news is that you don’t have to be god’s voice on earth in order to get an immaculate sharpening experience...

You just need to make an infernal pact with Jeff Bezos, and for 40 ish dollars he will deliver that same Suehiro combination stone straight to your door.

(T&Cs apply. Bezos reserves the right to steal your soul for all eternity, and/or sign you up to a monthly Amazon Prime subscription because you didn’t uncheck the tiny box at the top right of the browser. Faustus, curse thyself.)