Se1ryu
Senior Member
The never ending question...one stone ?
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Se1ryu
Senior Member
Suehiro RE 153 (True splash and go) 300/1500 whetstone. This is a good stone if you are looking for a coarse & medium combo. But if your knives doesn't have any chip than I recommend getting 1000/3000 one
The SP1000 gets more "press" than the SP1500. I've not used the latter and don't know if not as many people use it or if it does not earn the accolades the SP1000 does. It's could almost be considered obscure in this community.
Do know the SP1000 is very good for establishing that first burr when sharpening. If I'm sharpening on my Gesshin 1000 and 6000 diamond plates and not getting a burr I'll simply put in the SP1000, get the burr and get back to business.
Also know that the SP1000 pairs very well with the SP2000 as a finisher for gyuto and petty. If / when you want to build your rock collection, the SP1000 is a good first stone, the SP2000 is a good 2nd one.
It's worth noting that stones are even more subjective than knives. You can make any one of the above your own and learn to use it - there are few bad choices.
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There's nothing wrong with the sp1500. I have one. I've never used it with knives because I use it as my straight razor bevel setter. It is slightly slower but dishes slightly slower.
I second Norton India stones, washita, and I will throw in my usual random ass vote for the naniwa superstone 2k. Glazes like hell. And got to be careful not to to gouge it. This is a plus as a beginner because it helps a lot with angle control. If you clean it frequently (you can use any other stone or even a scotch Brite pad to flatten it). It is surprisingly fast and the final edge is surprisingly sharp. True splash and go.
Honorable mention to Shapton pro 1000, 1500, and Shapton glass 500 and 2000. They have no soul but damn you can't beat their performance. Just depends where you want to hit on the grit spectrum.
An Arkansas Soft will handle all those steels like a charm. It's absolutely one of my favorite stones and I'm also a big fan of India's. The reason I didn't recommend them, is that for me, I just can't get used to using them with water vs. oil. I'm always worried about clogging or glazing and I just can't make the adjustment. But, that is no doubt influenced by decades of using them strictly with oil.
While I agree that Naniwa Pro/Chosera 800 is the greatest one stone solution, I do not think its best for the beginner.
I think something a bit more universally aggressive and with coarser feedback is better, like SP 1000 that was mentioned several times.
I think something a bit more universally aggressive and with coarser feedback is better, like SP 1000 that was mentioned several times.
I'm going to mess with my washitas using water and some dish soap to see if I can have it be a contender for the "in the kitchen" stone.
I’m not a stone or sharpening fanatic like most here, but I have a set of Shapton Glass from 220 through 4k. If I could only keep one, it would be the SG1000. But if I was starting from scratch and could only buy one stone, I’d buy the SP1000 just because it includes a holder (which would otherwise be $20 for a cheap holder). Then I’d buy a granite tile from Home Depot for $5-$10 and a pack of 60-100 grit sandpaper for $10 and use those for flattening. All set for around $60. Use an old spray bottle to mist the stone while sharpening. Add a small rubber pet food mat for $10 to work on if you want to simplify cleanup, otherwise a quick swipe with a rag is pretty easy.
Now this is assuming I didn’t care about thinning for now, and wasn’t overly concerned about taking off metal when sharpening.
Now this is assuming I didn’t care about thinning for now, and wasn’t overly concerned about taking off metal when sharpening.
I use oil stones in the kitchen. In fact, the food grade mineral oil I use for honing is the same stuff I use on cutting boards, and on carbon steel to prevent rust, so I have a squirt bottle on hand. After a quick hone the paper towels for wiping the knife and stone off are already there handy.
Hanmak17
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Ok, a used Gesshin 2k...
In reality, probably a King super 800, its fast enough to fix on (with some extra work) and clean enough to use for pretty much everything else. There are a number of combo stones out there that would do the trick as well.
My first stone was a 220/1000 King combo. It's not very sexy, but it got the job done for me for many years, and it was just fine for my german beaters before I started dabbling in Japanese knives. For pure cutting sharpness, I've never needed anything higher than 1k.
I eventually replaced my King stone with a Naniwa Pro (Chosera) 800, which felt like a tangible but not huge upgrade. I like that the binder makes it feel slightly waxier and the feedback is a little nicer. I know that's sort of vague and subjective, it's the kind of thing where you really need to try some stones before you figure out what works for you.
I've rarely needed to do any serious repair work/regrinding, so I haven't missed the 220...
When I do occasionally need a lower grit, I find wet/dry sandpaper stuck to the back of a flat bench slab (I have a 12x18" granite slab I use) to be a cost effective solution. I also prefer this because the 220 side of my King tended to dish quite fast, as lower grit stones will do.
Sandpaper or SiC powder (as SirCutALot mentioned) can also be used to flatten your stones, rather than having a dedicated flattening stone. I prefer this approach personally, because all flattening stones eventually wear down themselves. Sandpaper and SiC powder are both relatively cheap as well. Some (smarter/more talented) folks swear by diamond plates, but I've always been nervous about diamond shards breaking off into slurry and ruining my finish, so I haven't experimented with them.
I eventually replaced my King stone with a Naniwa Pro (Chosera) 800, which felt like a tangible but not huge upgrade. I like that the binder makes it feel slightly waxier and the feedback is a little nicer. I know that's sort of vague and subjective, it's the kind of thing where you really need to try some stones before you figure out what works for you.
I've rarely needed to do any serious repair work/regrinding, so I haven't missed the 220...
When I do occasionally need a lower grit, I find wet/dry sandpaper stuck to the back of a flat bench slab (I have a 12x18" granite slab I use) to be a cost effective solution. I also prefer this because the 220 side of my King tended to dish quite fast, as lower grit stones will do.
Sandpaper or SiC powder (as SirCutALot mentioned) can also be used to flatten your stones, rather than having a dedicated flattening stone. I prefer this approach personally, because all flattening stones eventually wear down themselves. Sandpaper and SiC powder are both relatively cheap as well. Some (smarter/more talented) folks swear by diamond plates, but I've always been nervous about diamond shards breaking off into slurry and ruining my finish, so I haven't experimented with them.
inferno
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) <*))))><
gonna go against the grain here and suggest the shapton pro 2k.
why?
its much finer than any 1k stone. it actually feels like a finisher. the 1k stones are too coarse i think.
and is almost as fast as some 1k stones.
between the 1k naniwa pro and the 2k shapton pro the 2k is only very marginally slower. but it creates a much finer finish, now it feels sharp for real. the 1k naniwa is not finisher material imo.
the 1k shapton pro is a very fast stone. quite coarse. very good stone though. probably the best/most allround 1k there is. but its too coarse for a finishing stone.
same with the naniwa 800 and 1k.
why?
its much finer than any 1k stone. it actually feels like a finisher. the 1k stones are too coarse i think.
and is almost as fast as some 1k stones.
between the 1k naniwa pro and the 2k shapton pro the 2k is only very marginally slower. but it creates a much finer finish, now it feels sharp for real. the 1k naniwa is not finisher material imo.
the 1k shapton pro is a very fast stone. quite coarse. very good stone though. probably the best/most allround 1k there is. but its too coarse for a finishing stone.
same with the naniwa 800 and 1k.
Kawa
Senior Member
I can agree with what you say here. For me the shapton pro2k is the coarest of what I call a finisher too. Below that and knives just don't feel as sharp as they could be. And with the TS knives in dull-but-good condition and with some quality steel he can certainly just go with this one stone.
I only thing why I would suggest a stone around 1000 gritt: If he likes sharpening and starts to sharpen more knives, like friends and families, the shapton2k is too fine to remove real chips.
A 1000 is aswell speedwise, but with some patience you can remove them.
To be honest, I'd go with a combination stone as a first tryout stone. You simply dont want your knives finished at 1000 gritt, but you dont want to do some actual bigger sharpening jobs on a (lets say) 4000 finisher. So you want (need) both. With just one stone, you can buy a stone in the middle gritt thats just not very good at either sharpening or finishing. But some other would call it 'best of both worlds'
I have been using nothing but chosera 400 for a few years now
So, did you buy a stone or what?
Kawa
Senior Member
i glued to my shapton 1k to my 2k
its the best combo stone. now i have a coarse-fine combo. the best kind.
View attachment 197074
How did you glue it? What glue?
Might be handy in the future if a stone gets too thin and might want to crack soon. Just put in on whatever other stone...
A well, I don't think i'll wear any stone in this live (ok, maybe the superstones), but who knows..
is this the 'coarse x Fine India' you are referring to ? Norton India Oilstone, Combination Stone, Coarse/Fine | Norton | Dictum
I got a lot of new tips and ideers. But think i'll go for a Shapton #1000 and a flattening or the coarse x fine india. haven't pulled the trigger yet.
Honestly for maintenance you're better off with the shapton, and flattening stone.
The india is a great stone, but they wear, and need refreshing just like any other stone, and unless you have a way to address that, you're out of luck. For those, I've had the best experience using loose sic powder, and a flat surface (I use a piece of tile, it wears slower than plate glass).
Keep that in mind. Also you can use water with the shapton, if you intend on using water with the india, you're going to have some trouble unless you extract the oil out of it. I've found windex works well if you want something water like for it, or the old water, dish soap, and (oil? I cant remember) method, I havent tried it, but some sweat by it. Mainly I just used wd40 now days though. Its low viscosity, and works well. But it's still oily.
I would just add my voice for SP1000. The thing is - once you either save up a little more money and/or get some kniies where you want a finer edge - you just add some 3k - 6k stone and will be pretty much done (and eventually a coarse stone for thinning, but SP1000 can get you quite far). It really is hard to beat the price/performance ratio of the SP1000.
Good choice, agrees Reddit.
Shapton Kuromaku 1k. And when you want to get into polishing, add Kuromaku 5k. For bad chips and other heavy duty reprofiling, Kuromaku 120 (you're gonna want some proper lapping equipment like Atoma 140 or the Suehiro Dada with that though).
The Kuromaku series stones last pretty much forever. Except for the 120 as the kind of work it sees eats a lot of stone.
The Kuromaku series stones last pretty much forever. Except for the 120 as the kind of work it sees eats a lot of stone.
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You will need a finer stone for abrading the burr of your VG-10, though. A small piece of Belgian Blue may do the job.
Eh I recommend staying away from flattening the 120 with an atoma. It just leads to a glazed surface.
Good point. It's just pretty much the only thing I've managed to get the job done with. The 120 seems to get glazed from just working on single bevels though. I've circumnavigated the issue by dressing frequently. If there's a killer way of maintaining the 120 any tip is welcome!
