What stones for sharpening friends and families knives?

[Marek07]

IIRC...m24 are previous generation (basically) of the pro stone forumlation by shapton, they are JDM market stones, with wood bases. m5 is a similar as the old formulation, but I think its only ~5mm thick (vs the 24mm thick of the m24). There might be some nuances but the ha no kuromaku is a JDM version of the current "Pro" stone sold in the west.

Thanks! Helps me a lot.

 

[minibatataman]

A finish isn't about just how high the grit is. What's the point of sharpening somethting this fine if it can't hold the edge? Sure lower grit edges don't last longer in that sense but a 10K finish on a henckles will be gone after cutting warm butter. Just get a cheap 400/1k king stone and use that

 

[nutmeg]

I would bet on a 600 diamond plate wich may be fast enough to reapair and enough for soft steel and a 1000 in case of you need sharper for some blades.
I love the AI 1000 but there could be other alternatives..

 

[nutmeg]

But anyway you‘re going to use much pressure for repairing the blades so a diamond plate is a must.

 

[Dave Martell]

A finish isn't about just how high the grit is. What's the point of sharpening somethting this fine if it can't hold the edge? Sure lower grit edges don't last longer in that sense but a 10K finish on a henckles will be gone after cutting warm butter.

+1

To add....my testing has shown me that a coarse edge on soft knives cuts longer than a refined edge on the same knife. The softer the knife the coarser the edge needs to be to last any reasonable amount of time.

The thing is that these knives won't hold any edge...period..they're junk. Applying a refined edge will impress initially but leave the user with a rounded over and/or bent blunt edge quickly where at least a coarse edge will continue to saw (not exactly cut) away for sometime which is better than not cutting at all, don't we agree?

 

[nutmeg]

+1

To add....my testing has shown me that a coarse edge on soft knives cuts longer than a refined edge on the same knife. The softer the knife the coarser the edge needs to be to last any reasonable amount of time.

The thing is that these knives won't hold any edge...period..they're junk. Applying a refined edge will impress initially but leave the user with a rounded over and/or bent blunt edge quickly where at least a coarse edge will continue to saw (not exactly cut) away for sometime which is better than not cutting at all, don't we agree?

yes I guess the cheapest Wüsthof won't be able to cut many tomatoes when sharpened on a 10 or even 5k.. I wouldn't even try a 2k.

 

[Chef Doom]

Stones are meant to be used. If they wear down, buy new ones. Special stones for a different set of knives is a waste of time.

I will say sharpening softer still over 900 grit is a bit of a waste. Edges last about as long as a pack of condoms in a love hotel.