What steel/stone for tomatoes?

[Chuckles]

My garden is about to explode with tomatoes. I haven’t been sharpening much if at all in the last year. I am planning on choosing one knife to sharpen to be the tomato knife for the season. All home use. I am wondering what you all think for what steel and stone you would recommend for ripe tomatoes?

Here is what I have to choose from.

Steel:
R2
CPM154
Niolox
Ginsan
White Steel
Blue Steel
01
W2
52100
VG10
Old Dirty Carbon

Stones:
DMT extra coarse
Beston 500
Green Brick
JKI 2000
JKI diamond 1k/6k
Natural Red Aoto
Natural Aizu
Natural Mizukihara
Natural Ozuku Asagi
several naguras

Strops:
Balsa
Horsehide
Flax Linen
Diamond 3 micron
Diamond 1 micron
Chromium Oxide .5 micron

 

[Matus]

Niolox & Aizu

 

[Chuckles]

I think both knives I have in Niolox have never been sharpened. So it would be my first time. Would be fun. I always wonder about super abrasion resistant steels paired with naturals. Over time they may effect the carbide matrix? No matter tho as this would be a short term pairing.

 

[Matus]

Niolox is abrasion resistant and holds well a bity edge. The structure of the steel is not as fine as one might have hoped for. The steel is not too bad to sharpen.

 

[M1k3]

For ultimate edge, probably aizu or 1k diamond and R2. Otherwise stainless and mid grit.

 

[Barmoley]

Out of these R2, CPM154, niolox are the most wear resistant in that order and all hold a bity edge well for a long time. I’ve had very good result with JKI 6k diamond and JKI 2k and tomatoes. Both stones work surprisingly well on tomatoes.

 

[captaincaed]

ODC, sharpen up to 8k, strop on flax linen until polished. Maybe borrow a black ark for touch ups just in case

 

[captaincaed]

I go JKI 2000 on my r2 petty that does all the acidic fruits and tomatoes in my kitchen and it's held up a surprisingly long time

 

[psfred]

My favorite tomato knife is my Korean "cow knife" of unknown composition, most likely 52100 as it's supposedly "railroad steel". Sharpen on a 1k stone, polish a little on a 6k, and strop on chromium oxide on wood. Don't try for a super refined edge, you need some tooth to cut through tomato skins if you are slicing.

For canning or making sauce it doesn't matter, as they will be pretty much smashed up anyway. For whole tomatoes I blanch after coring and pull the peels off, for sauce I core, squeeze out as much pulp as possible on Roma types, and cook down.

I can cut 2mm slices with that cow knife with ease, and I've not sharpened it in months.