# Sharpening Sets, Experiences with JNS Set or JKI Set?



## SolidSnake03 (Nov 5, 2014)

Hey Everyone!

I'm wondering if anyone here has some experience or impressions on the JNS and JKI house sets of sharpening stones? I'm interested in both/either of these and was wondering what peoples thoughts on them were or comparisons between them. Interested in trying something new and would like something that could handle sharpening just about anything fairly well from my Tojiro DP to my Kono HD to everything in between (stainless, carbon etc...). For reference I prefer a bit toothier of an edge overall. 

JNS (Medium) Set would run about $300 and contains the JNS 300, JNS 800, JNS Red Aoto, JNS 6,000
http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/jns-matukusuyama-sharpening-set-medium/

JKI Set would run $200 and has the Gesshin 400, 2,000 and 6,000
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...a-toishi-medium-stones/gesshin-stone-set.html

Anyhow, I'm just trying to learn more about these sets and get some peoples takes on them. I know both sellers are very reputable and great guys but want to know more about the communities take on these.

Thanks!


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## Matus (Nov 5, 2014)

I have the same stones as are in the Gesshin set + the JNS 300. I have also shortly used JNS 800 and JNS 6000. I have summarized most of my experience with these stones in *this thread*.

At this point I could add the following:

JNS300
- true splash and go
- a hard stone
- dishes slow for its grit (based on relatively little sharpening time though) and cuts very fast
- I really like it. Since I incline towards S&G stones, it will probably replace my Gesshin 400 once that one will be all used up (that will take a while though)

Gesshin 400
- dishing speed reasonable fore the grit
- cuts fast
- thirsty stone (during sharpening)

Gesshin 2000
- absolutely excellent stone - dishes slow - I am about the flatten it for the first time since I got it - that is nearly 2 years ago (home use)
- cuts fast, feels smooth
- since I sharpen my knives regularly, I usually start with this stone.

Gesshin 6000
- medium hard
- very smooth and pleasant
- fast for its grit
- either store in water permanently, or us only as S&G - in otgher words - do not soak before every sharpening if you do not store it in water - the stone may develop cracks. Mine did (I soaked it every time, my mistake), so I glued it to a ceramic base and glued sides with several layers of paper. No problems since then.
- practically 0 dishing - did not need flattening yet. Leaves edge perfect for kitchen knives (not too polished, not too toothy).

I think that both these sets are excellent - there are differences, but one has to try the stones in person to find a preference. If you are located in USA the Gesshin setup would probably make more sense.


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## Vesteroid (Nov 5, 2014)

I picked up jons set after already having one of his stones. I keep the 400 and 2000 permasoaked, and use the 6000 s&g.

I only have the jck set to compare to 2000/4000 combo and 6000)

Overall I like the jki set best. I have almost all carbon knives so unless I really don't like the bevel from the maker I am rarely using the 400. I will say that I have taken a few friends knives (mostly German stainless ) that were quite dull and rehabbed them on the 400 before moving on. I like the 2000 a lot and the 6000 seems pretty comparable if not s bit harder than my jck 6000.

All in all an excellent value for the performance. I am having a hard time seeing why I would ever want to go all natural. Of course I have no experience with natural stones, but when one stone cost more than the 6 I have combined it's hard for me to see the value.


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## idemhj (Nov 5, 2014)

Vesteroid said:


> I am having a hard time seeing why I would ever want to go all natural.


I think you misunderstand. The JNS set is not all natural  in fact it is not natural at all. It is just called JNS because of the name of the site that sells it, but it is a synthetic set. Hence the price which is higher than the JKI set, but not that much higher.


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## SolidSnake03 (Nov 5, 2014)

Thanks everyone! 

What drew me to the jns set was the very positive things i have read about the jns red aoto and how great of any edge that leaves. Also, im not too familiar with the jns stuff so was interested in it for that regard. 

I am in the usa though so would the jns be tougher to get? I saw free shipping internationally and figured the set was expensive enough to get it?


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## MowgFace (Nov 5, 2014)

I had ZERO issues dealing with Maksim. IIRC I received my Itinomonn SS 3 days from order. I live in CA for reference. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SolidSnake03 (Nov 5, 2014)

Glad to hear it, figured it would be fine ordering from him but wanted to check as that would be something to consider in my decision potentially.

I know shipping/working with jki is always amazing but didnt have any personal experience with jns


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## slash (Nov 5, 2014)

A message to vendors if you answer email's you will get the sale...Maksim answered my quiery about Stones top man by the way so He will get my buisness .


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## Matus (Nov 5, 2014)

slash said:


> A message to vendors if you answer email's you will get the sale...Maksim answered my quiery about Stones top man by the way so He will get my buisness .



Jon is on his Japan trip and may not be able to answer email the same day. The same may happen to Maksim if he is busy. I have expect answers within minutes and within several days with both of them. They both do their best.

EDIT: sorry for going off-topic


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## slash (Nov 5, 2014)

Yea i understand that i am talking in genaral and not just Jon we need to Support our vendors and back them 
But they need to answer especialy When They are online a day after you ask for help .


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## daveb (Nov 5, 2014)

Matus - You did not go off topic - pls no apologies. You did not leave the small puddle of drivel on the floor.

Snake - My fist stones were the widely avail Bestor 500, 1.2K and Suehiro 5K. When I wasn't immediately proficient with them I called Jon to ask about the Gesshin products. My first contact with him and he suggested that the stones I had were very good and that I should learn to use them before I started shopping for new ones. (He said it nicer than that) I never could warm to the 500, did order the G400 and eventually gave the 500 away. Since then I've picked up the G2K, G4K and G8K from Jon and JNS 300 and 800 from Maksim. Some JNats have found their way to my house as well.

Comparing products I have a slight preference for the JNS 300 over the G400. A coarse stone, not used every session, its good to be S&G. It will put a burr on anything. Dishing is minimal. I also like the JNS 800 a lot and use it most every session regardless of knives being sharpened. The G2K is my favorite stone in it's range. It could easily be the only mid range stone in a line up. The 1.2K is good (for me) with stainless, esp when I want to achieve a mirror finish at end but it will always be 2nd choice. I've not used the JNS synthetic aoto.

Note that the JNS synthetic Red Aoto is not the same as the Red Aoto JNat sold (when in stock) by JNS. The syntheitic may be, and probably is, a very good stone. I'll leave that to those with first hand experience.

Comparing vendors, they are both excellent. (Wish I had choices like that yesterday...) Order from Jon and a couple days later it will be happy mailbox day. Order from Maksim and the yellow truck will be pulling up shortly after you log off. Both offer free shipping, Jon in the states and Maksim worldwide for a reasonable threshold. Bear in mind that both are small retailers - I like it that way.

Good luck in your search. Much like when you were shopping for knives there are no bad choices on your list.


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## slash (Nov 5, 2014)

How's that drivel?


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## Vesteroid (Nov 5, 2014)

idemhj said:


> I think you misunderstand. The JNS set is not all natural  in fact it is not natural at all. It is just called JNS because of the name of the site that sells it, but it is a synthetic set. Hence the price which is higher than the JKI set, but not that much higher.



I dont misunderstand at all. I was saying that I like my synthetic stones so much I dont ever see myself buying all natural stones.


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## SolidSnake03 (Nov 5, 2014)

Thank you again everyone (DaveB especially as your a great source of knowledge).

I currently do own the 3 piece set from Dave Martell that you are describing and do find it nice however, I'm a tinkerer at heart so to speak. Much like in life (hence why I love running so much), I can't stand to stay still. Sticking with one thing too long drives me nuts, I have a constant need to keep moving and keep trying things (potentially un-diagnosed ADHD haha) I love to experiment, write, think and try new things in order to continually grow and gain more knowledge. For me, the new set isn't particularly about solving some "problem" or dislike I have with my current set up, it's about experimenting.

Your comment about Slash-N-Go for the low grit stone is a very good point that I didn't initially consider. Splash-N-Go is a plus for me because I enjoy the convenience but at the same time it isn't a must or a deal breaker. In a low grit though, that is used infrequently at best, I do see it as a nice positive for sure. Regarding the JNS 800, where do you go from there if your looking for a great usable toothy edge on a gyuto? Would you move on to something like the Gesshin 2k or would you skip up higher than that? Just curious where something like the JNS 800 fits in if not using the set up identically as JNS has it.

Regarding the Synthetic Red Aoto, anyone have direct experience with this one? It has minimal reviews on the JNS site so maybe it's a bit newer or just not gotten around a lot yet?

Glad to hear there isn't a bad choice on my list, I figured shopping with either vendor was a safe bet but I always like to ask around when I'm not 100% sure on things especially given the international element for JNS.

On the knife front by the way, I'm loving the Gesshin Ginga 240mm Western, wonderful knife in every way.


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## slash (Nov 5, 2014)

Nice one lads....would love to get together with you two.. we would have a smashing time together.


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## Dardeau (Nov 5, 2014)

I used the JNS 800 before the natural red aoto for most all of my knives before I started messing with med. coarse JNats. I really liked it, and have also really liked all the Gesshin stones I have used.


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## SolidSnake03 (Nov 5, 2014)

Also just noticed I said "Slash-N-Go"...this should be Splash-N-Go

Have knives and cutting on the brain it seems....


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## Ruso (Nov 5, 2014)

Based on what I read, overall JNS captures my attention more at the moment. Said that, I have JKI 2K and I love it, my favorite stone


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## malexthekid (Nov 5, 2014)

I used both the Gesshin 400 and 6k while at Jon's sharpening class a couple of months ago, and liked both of them, felt very nice to use, raised a bur quite well.

No experience with the JNS set.


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## Matus (Nov 6, 2014)

One short comment on S&G versus soaking stones. Most users concentrate on the fact, that soaking stones need some 10-15 minutes time in water to saturate their water content. That is not the biggest difference though. The drying is. I did a little measurement once and it turned out that while S&G stone will dry within 24 hours or less (if it as not soaked), the soaking stones need 4-5 days under the same conditions. In my case that means leaving the stones on the kitchen counter for that long what my wife does not appreciate all that much. Coarse soaking stones are also much more 'thirsty' during sharpening than S&G.

Ruso, the Gesshin 2k is my favourite stone as well and it would probably be followed by JNS 800 (lovely feel and finish and I love the size).


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## SolidSnake03 (Nov 6, 2014)

Good info on splash and go. Im actually kinda curious about the splash and go stones because aside from some shapton pros i really havent used the style much but the ease of use and convienence appeals to me. 

I found the shaptons super hard overall and not much feel but the stones im reading about on jns and jki dont sound like that at all.

Im wondering if maybe mix and matching might be a fun thing to try like going 
JNS 300, Gesshin 1200, JNS Red Aoto

Any impressions on this? Or these stones? Have to admit the red aoto has me curious....


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## chinacats (Nov 6, 2014)

I'm rather curious about the synthetic red aoto as well. 

As to splash and go, I've pretty much made the conversion and don't plan on looking back with synthetics anyway. Gesshin 600, 1.2k, 5k. At some point, I'd like to 'upgrade' to the newer 6k but I've always enjoyed the edge and ease of sharpening with the 5k so no rush. :2cents:


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## SolidSnake03 (Nov 6, 2014)

China, do you find that the 600 cuts fast enough for repair work like tip repair or removing chips?

The ability to quickly remove chips and fix tips was a big part of what drew me to the JNS 300 aside from it being splash and go. Just wasnt sure if the Gesshin 600 would be fast enough in this regard


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## chinacats (Nov 6, 2014)

It's pretty fast, but I also have a 220 pink stone purchased from EE that works very fast. It also happened to be a very good deal if I remember correctly. As to the 600 it will take out a small chip rather quickly, but for major steel removal it's always nice to have a lower grit stone. 

This is all as an aside though to the original poster's topic though because unfortunately the only stones I've bought from JNS have all been natural


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## SolidSnake03 (Nov 6, 2014)

EE stands for what? I know JKI, JNS, Korin, CKTG and JCK but haven't seen EE before....

Thanks for the info on the 600 by the way, it's appreciated.


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## malexthekid (Nov 6, 2014)

Epicurean Edge


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## SolidSnake03 (Nov 7, 2014)

Got it, i see the stone china was talking about, does look like a good deal on a low grit stone for heavy duty work


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## chinacats (Nov 7, 2014)

SolidSnake03 said:


> Got it, i see the stone china was talking about, does look like a good deal on a low grit stone for heavy duty work



It's a good stone for the money, that said it will load up rather quickly so just need to clean the surface (flatten) a bit more often. In the end though you never need to use it for very long so that's not usually a problem:>)

If/when I replace it, I believe it will be with a diamond plate of some type (sounds like Jon may have some new options?). The plate I use for flattening stones was really not designed to work on blades.


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## marc4pt0 (Nov 10, 2014)

Want to dust this thread off by asking if anybody can give note on their experience with the JNS RED AOTO MATUKUSUYAMA.
I'm looking to start building on my sharpening tools and am very interested in picking one of these up, new or used.
Also very curious about Jon's Gesshin 4000 stone, how does deal with dishing? Fast or slow?


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## wellminded1 (Nov 10, 2014)

I can only chime in on the JNS stones, as I purchased the whole set last year when on sale(minus the red aoto, but with the regular jns aoto matukusuyama). Each stone sees its fair share of use but the aoto is absolutely my go to everytime, cuts great, slow dishing and fun to use. Great stone also before going to the 1k, 6k stomes. The dealings I have had with JNS have been amazing and the shipping is some of the fastest I have ever had.


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## SolidSnake03 (Nov 10, 2014)

Interested in hearing about that synth red aoto too! A splash and go that leaves a toothy edge and muds up nicely sounds interesting...


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## Keith Sinclair (Nov 20, 2014)

SolidSnake03 said:


> China, do you find that the 600 cuts fast enough for repair work like tip repair or removing chips?
> 
> The ability to quickly remove chips and fix tips was a big part of what drew me to the JNS 300 aside from it being splash and go. Just wasnt sure if the Gesshin 600 would be fast enough in this regard



I use a Atoma 140 plate go from the spine to repair broken tips. Large tip breaks use a belt & tub of H2O for dipping. Chips unless they are large advise people learning freehand to sharpen them out over time. Teach knife care so to avoid chips.

With Dave's set you have very good stones in the Bester 1200 and the Rika 5K. Of coarse buy as many stones as you like. Don't use coarse stones much at all prefer plates under 1K they last longer & don't dish. One can never have enough medium stones 800-2000. Sharpen enough knives that I can rotate back to some of my old favorites.


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