What do I have (King Stones) vs what else is out there (synthetic)?

[sugi_84]

Hi All,

Relatively new here, but I did try to look around to see if it was discussed anywhere. Generally, I think I'm pretty okay at sharpening but every once and again I'll come up against a knife that won't get as sharp as I'm expecting which makes me think I'm a noob and after joining and reading a bunch of posts on here, all doubt has been removed.

I bought this King stone from Woodcraft over a decade ago and don't remember much about it. I think the grit(s) is 1k/6k but I'm not super sure and am basing it off color. Is anyone able to confirm the details about the stone? Grit? The only thing definite about it is that its a King. I'm almost certain its a very cheap stone as when I bought it, I didn't have much money. I don't see much talk about King stones on here so I'm wondering how it stacks up against the popular synthetic stones that are discussed frequently here. Will other brands make that big a difference? In terms of quality is it bottom of the barrel? Most of what I see on here is user preference or try it and find out so I'm not able to make a qualitative assessment...is there a general consensus as to how it stacks up?

 

[Heckel7302]

That is most certainly a king 1k/6k. The 1k is a perfectly useful stone. You could certainly upgrade if you want to, but it will get the job done as long as the edges are too terribly dull. The 6k side isn’t that great. 1k side definitely needs to be soaked. The 6k side can work a bit better when used splash and go.

 

[cotedupy]

Fwiw - King 800 x 6k looks exactly the same too, so could also be that.

The 1k x 6k is a lot more common though.

 

[Mr Kooby Shemayrew]

I like King’s products. They are all excellent values. A King 300 (or Norton India or Crystalon) would pair well for doing the heavy cutting before refining on the 1K which can make a great edge.

The 6K can be a finicky stone and take some time to learn. If you feel like it is taking back the good edge from the 1K, you need to work with it more to figure out its quirks. Try some Smiths Honing Solution (non-petroleum) to provide more slide which helps.

 

[MowgFace]

Fwiw - King 800 x 6k looks exactly the same too, so could also be that.

View attachment 303000


The 1k x 6k is a lot more common though.

I also had an 800/4000 that looked identical.

Way to go King

 

[rickbern]

After ten years of starting on a 1000 grit stone it may well be that you have knives that need thinning. Take a look around for info about this.



Also, the king stones work well with simple steel, if you have fancy stainless (sg2, r2, hap40) they may not be the best choice. Let us know what kind of knives you have and how long you’ve had them for, that might provide us with good clues to help you out

 

[sugi_84]

After ten years of starting on a 1000 grit stone it may well be that you have knives that need thinning. Take a look around for info about this.



Also, the king stones work well with simple steel, if you have fancy stainless (sg2, r2, hap40) they may not be the best choice. Let us know what kind of knives you have and how long you’ve had them for, that might provide us with good clues to help you out

My workhorse knives are pretty simple. They're mostly Victorinox. I have a couple of cheaper japanese knives (same maker, yanagiba & deba probably White2 or White3) from a local japanese shop Shirokiya we used to have here (mark on the yanagiba below). I'm currently researching semi actively to purchase a usuba but not super sure on the steel...either White#1 or Blue #1 or 2 depending on the price. Not looking to break the bank so maybe less than $400 whatever that turns out to be. I'm just a home cook so I don't need to sharpen super often.

As for thinning, I used to use a Smith's diamond grit sharpening system (don't use it anymore for kitchen knives) so that took off a ton of steel especially when I kept sharpening my Santoku with fluted edges with it. The edge was at the bottom of the fluting. When that happened I just got a new one.