# Your opinion about Shapton PRO series ?



## Ben_p (Nov 7, 2016)

Hi guys , 

I'm planing to buy my first sharpening set ( whetstones ) i thought about shapton PRO series and to take the grits of : #320 , #1000 , #5000 . 
I have a new ANRYU nakiri aogami #2 , and a gyoto from the same line . 
In addition i have two shun classics , 1 global chef knife , and some ARCOS chef knives . 

Do you think that this set will do a good job with those knives ? should i buy the #8000 instead of the 5000? somebody recommend that?

Thanks 

Ben


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## Steampunk (Nov 7, 2016)

Hi Ben,

Shapton Pro stones have some pros & cons, but they were also my first Japanese synthetic sharpening stones... 

In the plus column, they are truly splash & go (No soaking, no water absorption, good water retention on the surface.) which is surprisingly a rare trait, they are very hard and resist dishing very well, are difficult to gouge when you're learning, most of them don't create much mud so cut very precise and crisp bevels, their abrasives are pretty finely graded so they leave a very consistent scratch pattern (More important for razors than knives.), and when paired with the right steels they can be lightning fast cutters. 

In the debit column, they don't have the best tactile feel (The higher grit stones feel almost slippery.), in my experience most of them have their kryptonite when it comes to steel (The 320, for example, glazes over pretty badly on stainless and semi-stainless steels. I actually find the Shapton Glass Stone series to be much more versatile, in regard to the steels they perform well on, although they do have a shorter lifespan than the Pro stones.), anything over 320 doesn't readily create contrast when thinning clad knives like your Anryu's, they are a royal pain in the nether regions to lap flat again, and the super-consistent grit sizing makes the edges they create feel abnormally smooth for their grit rating (Other brands of stones tend to provide a bit more bite.). 

The 320 will do fine on the Anryu's, as will the 1K, & 5K (I wouldn't go any higher for most culinary application.) for sharpening edges. The 1K will do fine on your stainless knives, and sometimes may feel a more aggressive cutter than the 320. The 5K is okay on both, but it does create kind of a 'smooth' edge. Good for carrots, less so for tomatoes and peppers. The 320 & 1K are pretty decent, actually, when doing the initial stages of wide-bevel thinning on knives like your Anryu, but afterwards you would want a different stone to create contrast than the 5K, as it will simply polish everything.

If you go with this set, and what I describe above sounds good to you, you will also want a diamond flattening plate to maintain them. I use an Atoma 140. If you want to try something else, instead, that may be a little more ideal for kitchen knives, I would look at Naniwa Pro/Chosera stones, Gesshin Stones, or some of the synthetics from JNS, for example, although there are other brands. The latter two, in particular, are good for doing aesthetic finishing on wide-bevel knives after thinning. Typically a coarse 300-600 grit stone, a medium 800-2000 grit stone, a 3-6K finishing stone, a diamond flattening plate, and a strop of some ilk (This can be homemade, from wood, newspaper, carboard, denim, leather, etc, and left alone or pasted with an abrasive compound.) is a well-rounded starter set for sharpening. 

Hopefully this helps...

- Steampunk


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Nov 7, 2016)

https://www.fine-tools.com/G-shapton.html#zieldcream that text is 12000-centric but it does suggest a sequence to use...


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## WingKKF (Nov 7, 2016)

I really like my Shapton Pro 2000. As steampunk has mentioned, they are truly splash and go unlike others that claim to be so but are actually quick soak then go. I use the Shapton Glass Stone 500 as my low grit starter and that too is great. I would not take an 8K over a 5K for kitchen cutlery purposes. I treat my knives as tools and not ornaments so the Shaptons to me are more practical, more available in some markets and inexpensive than other stones which may provide better "aesthetic" results.


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## Ben_p (Nov 10, 2016)

Steampunk said:


> Hi Ben,
> 
> Shapton Pro stones have some pros & cons, but they were also my first Japanese synthetic sharpening stones...
> 
> ...




Hi buddy , your reply was truly helpful ... nice to know that it was your first set too.. 

In fact i like them but i if there is a better set of 3 stones up to 200$ i open to suggestions ... 

By the way from your words i understand that 5000# its enough right ?


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## tienowen (Nov 11, 2016)

Ben_p said:


> Hi guys ,
> 
> I'm planing to buy my first sharpening set ( whetstones ) i thought about shapton PRO series and to take the grits of : #320 , #1000 , #5000 .
> I have a new ANRYU nakiri aogami #2 , and a gyoto from the same line .
> ...



Aloha Ben, i had been use shapton stone for a while, around 6 months. Their stone not bad and cheap i just didn't buy the pro series instead i bought Shapton Ceramic Kuromaku at amazon. I had 320,1000 and 12000. The 320 can fix chip fast and take metal fast, 1000 line medium girt good easy to use. The reason i bought 12k stone for my single bevel knife make a good mirror polish knife. For home use i think 5k should be good for the knife, not need go higher girt stone. Total the stone i buy around 150$ to use, also get a flat stone too.
PS: http://imgur.com/a/nlaKi that mirror finish of 12k stone.


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## Hamono (Nov 12, 2016)

The 1000 grit prostone is one of my favorites, fast cutting, even finish and with good tactile feed back


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## Keith Sinclair (Nov 13, 2016)

The green Shapton Pro 2K is a good touchup stone. You can get a very sharp edge with quality steels. The plastic case works as a base. Japanese sushi chefs use the higher grit pro's for single bevel sashimi knives. For gyuto's 2K is fine.


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