Stone set to kick things off

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WifeNotUnderstand

WifeNotUnderstand

KKF Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2017
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Location
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Hi all

I have a question on what sharpening set upgrade to.

I am a complete novice in free hand sharpening however I can get a great result with my Edge Pro with Shapton glass stones

My current knives are:
• 3 x R2 knives
• 2 x carbon clad (white steel I think) knives
• 1 x YXR7 knife
• 1 x SKD knife
With more yet to buy probably in the PM/stainless/semi stainless side of things

So I want to kick my free hand sharpening off by purchasing a set.

Here is my shortlist

K&S
1. Naniwa 1K, 3K, 8K
2. Naniwa Chosera 800, 2K, 5K
3. Naniwa Chosera 1K, 3K, 5K
4. Naniwa Chosera 400, 1K, 3K

JNS
1. JNS MATUKUSUYAMA SHARPENING SET (HARD)
2. JNS MATUKUSUYAMA SHARPENING SET (MEDIUM

I am in Australia so shipping can be a major drag on the overall cost, looking at spending up to AUD $500 (US$ 400)
I already have an Atoma 140 plate and I will probably pick up a strop at a later stage as well

I am leaning toward Naniwa Chosera 800, 2K, 5K set so I can use the 2k and 5k for retouching the edge and the 800 for when I want to thin/fix anything

Am I on the right track? Or should get something else?
 
Only thing I would probably consider is maybe something in the 300-400 grit range since you mention thinning and repairing.I have a Chosera 800 and feel it would be kind of slow for something like thinning.It's more closely related to a 1000 grit stone.
 
I think Chosera 400, 1k and 3k set would be better for your current line up. JNS medium would work great, but I think they work even better on carbon kasumi finish. They trend to leave a hazy finish.

And Chosera 800 is too slow for thining, it is more like a 1k grit range.
 
If I were going chosera it would be 400, 800 and 3k. That said, for me, the 400 is too slow for a coarse stone and is more of a medium coarse stone. The 3k acts more like a 4k and is great for finishing double bevels though. I prefer the 800 to the 1k because it is faster and has a better feel in use due to being slightly softer.

Personally were it me buying stones from K&S I would get a King hyper 1k and either the Arashiyama 6k or the Kitayama 8k and worry about at sub 1k later as the King is fast enough for the interim. However, while not ideal I guess this is where a lot of folks would favor the addition of something like an Atoma 400 as it can be used for light thinning and repair as well as flattening. Again, just my personal picks. Nothing wrong with any of your above sets. :)
 
Chosera 400, 800 and 3k are all you probably need. Avoid the 5k: soft, no tactile feedback, expensive. Have one and never use it anymore. The 3k already leaves a 4k finish. If you want to go further think about the Naniwa Snow-white Junpaku 8k.
 
In case you get an Atoma consider the 140. Fast flattener for all your stones, and great for thinning once worn in.
 
Benuser said:
In case you get an Atoma consider the 140. Fast flattener for all your stones, and great for thinning once worn in.
Click to expand...

I agree that a 140 is the idea flattener and metal remover as long as one has a medium coarse stone to go along with it. :)
 
WifeNotUnderstand said:
Thanks for all of your feedback and insights. Looks like 400, 1k, 3k is the best option.
In the future i can go one higher and lower if the need arises without doubling up on stones
Click to expand...
I started with this set and it works well on all steels I've tried on it.

Not so good for Kasumi or contrast but does pretty much everything else well.
 
WifeNotUnderstand said:
Thanks for all of your feedback and insights. Looks like 400, 1k, 3k is the best option.
In the future i can go one higher and lower if the need arises without doubling up on stones
Click to expand...
I think you've chosen well. Started with this one myself from James (K&S) and it has served me very well. However, I would avoid the 8k Naniwa (Junpaku) in the future - never enjoyed this stone. My suggestion would be to go for a Kitayama or Arashiyama instead.
 
Marek07 said:
I think you've chosen well. Started with this one myself from James (K&S) and it has served me very well. However, I would avoid the 8k Naniwa (Junpaku) in the future - never enjoyed this stone. My suggestion would be to go for a Kitayama or Arashiyama instead.
Click to expand...
Junpaku does take a little more getting used to than Kitayama (I got Junpaku first so I had to get used to it) but it does seem to produce a finer polish and the feedback is pretty good, albeit quite different from the lower grit Choseras. Junpaku is a pretty hard stone and the mud can get quite sticky. There have been many reports of Junpakus (and Choseras for that matter) cracking if they weren't sealed propperly (at Badgertooth's suggestion, I use Monocel Gold Marine Varnish available at Bunnings in Aus - and I haven't had this problem).

I kinda like both but I'd guess that Kitayama might be a safer bet for a beginning set (for the average person). Kitayama also seems to give a better hagane/jigane contrast than Junpaku (on the few knives that i have tried).
 
K813zra said:
If I were going chosera it would be 400, 800 and 3k. That said, for me, the 400 is too slow for a coarse stone and is more of a medium coarse stone. The 3k acts more like a 4k and is great for finishing double bevels though. I prefer the 800 to the 1k because it is faster and has a better feel in use due to being slightly softer.

Personally were it me buying stones from K&S I would get a King hyper 1k and either the Arashiyama 6k or the Kitayama 8k and worry about at sub 1k later as the King is fast enough for the interim. However, while not ideal I guess this is where a lot of folks would favor the addition of something like an Atoma 400 as it can be used for light thinning and repair as well as flattening. Again, just my personal picks. Nothing wrong with any of your above sets. :)
Click to expand...

this quote has got me thinking (or over thinking).....

instead of the 400,1k,3k

what is everybody's thoughts on the Kasfly sandpaper holder ,one of (King hyper 1k / chosera 800 /1000) and a Arashiyama 6k combo as an alternative?
 
Want to throw my two cents in on the low grit side. I've owned the Chosera set you're thinking about and it works well, great set, I found though that I prefer the JNS 300 for low grit work. It's basically a splash and go cinder block that is my "take no prisoners, make a burr now!!" Stone. It's the stone I break out when I'm impatient or am not screwing around and have work to do because holy cow that thing will create a burr fast. That said though, be a little careful with it if you try it since it does eat metal fast!

Just something to think about if you ever want another low grit stone or want something between diamond plate and Chosera 400. To be honest, most of the time I don't even bother sharpening on a diamond plate and just use the JNS 300 as my lowest grit. Still flatten with diamond but don't sharpen on them since the JNS 300 can get a huge burr worked up on evern the crappiest house knife.
 
WifeNotUnderstand said:
... what is everybody's thoughts on the Kasfly sandpaper holder...?
Click to expand...

This steps away from the traditional path and you may not find much first hand experience. As a thought problem, it makes sense to me though. My reasoning is that, if you keep up with your sharpening, you'll usually be starting on your 800-1K stone and using your coarse stone for repairs & maybe thinning. Sand paper is cheap up front, but gives you basically one layer of abrasive. A stone gives you many "layers" of abrasive, but costs more. Mitigating that, coarse stones give you far fewer "layers" and are cheaper, so are much closer in total cost over time. Lastly you can have a wide variety of abrasives by buying different paper, to more easily handle exotic steels and special situations. (There was a thread about papers and trade-offs for the Kasfly, perhaps in James' sub-forum.)
 
sandpaper doesn't dish,
and you don't need another $$$
diamond plate for keeping the shape
so there are some benefits
 
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