# Quick review of the Sigma Power Ceramic 6000.



## PalmRoyale (Mar 1, 2018)

I received the stone at work today so I did some testing with my white steel #1 chisels and a PM-V11 and A2 plane blades. First the good things. The stone is very hard, very similar to a Shapton Pro 5000, and it's also very dense which is reflected by it's weight of 800 grams. I like hard and dense synthetic stones so for me this is a good thing. Unlike a Shapton Pro 5000 which is a dog to use this stone is very nice. Sharpening on it feels smooth and kind of creamy with a nice sense of very fine abrasion and it makes short work of everything I've thrown at it. It's fast, fast, fast! Feedback is very good which makes it easy to keep the angle consistent. Water management is top notch as well. It's a splash and go stone (it does absorb a tiny bit of water) and as long as you keep it wet there's no problem with glazing of the stone, not even with the back of a #4 plane blade. So on to the bad stuff. There's isn't any. This has instantly become my favourite synthetic stone, it's that good. It's everything I want the pro 5000 to be and then some. Hard, dense, smooth, creamy, fast... what's not to like about this stone?


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## HRC_64 (Mar 1, 2018)

Nice review. 


If its ok to ask, what was the landed cost of the stone?
(Is it basically competitive pricewise to SP5K?)


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## PalmRoyale (Mar 1, 2018)

The total cost was 101. Unfortunately I had to pay VAT. But that's the risk you take. Sometimes a packages sails through customs and sometimes it doesn't. So no, it's absolutely not competitive price wise in this instance. Performance wise it blows the pro 5000 out of the water so I still feel it's worth the money I paid for it.


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## PalmRoyale (Mar 2, 2018)

Damn, this is a good stone. The more I use it, the more I like it. It's almost good enough to replace my Hideriyama and suita.


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## Grunt173 (Mar 2, 2018)

The more I use my Shapton Pro 5000, the more I don't.


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## PalmRoyale (Mar 2, 2018)

The Sigma is nothing like the pro. It's leagues ahead of it.


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## Jovidah (Mar 2, 2018)

Someone's coming down with a bad case of the stone fever...


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## PalmRoyale (Mar 2, 2018)

Not really. I have the Sigma for all my A2 and PM-V11 stuff. A softer Hideriyama for quick sharpening of my chisels and a small suita for when I need a truly sharp edge on them.


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## labor of love (Mar 2, 2018)

PalmRoyale said:


> Not really. I have the Sigma for all my A2 and PM-V11 stuff. A softer Hideriyama for quick sharpening of my chisels and a small suita for when I need a truly sharp edge on them.



Have you used it for knives yet?


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## osakajoe (Mar 2, 2018)

I use it all the time on knives. Also one of my favorite stones.


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## PalmRoyale (Mar 2, 2018)

labor of love said:


> Have you used it for knives yet?



I bought it purely for my tool blades.



osakajoe said:


> I use it all the time on knives. Also one of my favorite stones.



Just out of curiosity, do you agree with what I said about the Sigma?


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## labor of love (Mar 2, 2018)

osakajoe said:


> I use it all the time on knives. Also one of my favorite stones.



Yeah, I used to own one and I used it on knives. The reason Im asking is because I wanted to compare my experience with the 6k with the OPs.


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## osakajoe (Mar 2, 2018)

PalmRoyale said:


> Just out of curiosity, do you agree with what I said about the Sigma?



Yes I do. Pretty spot on with the almost splash and go comment and how it feels.


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## PalmRoyale (Mar 3, 2018)

labor of love said:


> Yeah, I used to own one and I used it on knives. The reason Im asking is because I wanted to compare my experience with the 6k with the OPs.


 
What was your experience with the 6K?


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## labor of love (Mar 3, 2018)

PalmRoyale said:


> What was your experience with the 6K?



Cant really remember besides that it had good speed and was hard( too hard for my tastes).


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## JaVa (Mar 4, 2018)

How does it compare to the 6000 Select II you had?


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## PalmRoyale (Mar 4, 2018)

This stone is a completely different beast. The Select II 6000 is designed purely with HSS and other high hardness steels in mind, that's when it really shines. Put some softer steel on it and it's extremely friable and it dishes like hell. In that regard it behaves very much like a coticule. The Ceramic 6000 is more of an all-round stone. It's much harder, smoother and even feels a bit creamy. The downside due to the difference in composition is that it's a bit slower but it's still a fast stone.


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## retfr8flyr (Mar 14, 2018)

I also have the Sigma Power 6000 and I agree with everything loskajoe says about it. I am actually a big fan of Sigma Power stones. I think they are very good stones for the price. I have the set of 1000, 6000 and 13000 stones. The 13000 is a fantastic stone, in my opinion. It puts such a fantastic final finish on my chisels and knives. I don't use the 13000 all the time because the 6000 does such a good job that it's all I need for most sharpening. When I really want a special edge on a chisel, or knife, I will use the 13000 stone.


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## Carey59 (Mar 18, 2018)

For anyone looking for this stone in the US, CKTG says they should have it in stock around the end of the month.
I have no affiliation with them.


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## labor of love (Mar 18, 2018)

Carey59 said:


> For anyone looking for this stone in the US, CKTG says they should have it in stock around the end of the month.
> I have no affiliation with them.



Id love to get a 1200 one day, any. Any chance mark will stock those too?


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## Carey59 (Mar 18, 2018)

labor of love said:


> Id love to get a 1200 one day, any. Any chance mark will stock those too?



He didn't mention the 1200 specifically, but my impression was that they were adding more than just the 6k.

Does anyone have experience with the Sigma 13k for Japanese tool use? I'm considering that one, too.


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## chinacats (Mar 18, 2018)

Carey59 said:


> For anyone looking for this stone in the US, CKTG says they should have it in stock around the end of the month.
> I have no affiliation with them.



I'd rather buy from Stu...and I too have no affiliation with Mark. :doublethumbsup:


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## chinacats (Mar 18, 2018)

Double post...sorry 'bout that.


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## labor of love (Jan 31, 2020)

Necro bump.

Can this stone be permasoaked?


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## Yet-Another-Dave (Jan 31, 2020)

labor of love said:


> ... Can this stone be permasoaked?



Anecdotal reports on woodworking forums say yes. It'd be better if someone with more expertise (Jon?) explained based on the stone's construction.


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## labor of love (Jan 31, 2020)

Right, I keep forgetting which binder is soaker friendly and which one isn’t.


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## Yet-Another-Dave (Jan 31, 2020)

labor of love said:


> Right, I keep forgetting which binder is soaker friendly and which one isn’t.


I remember Magnesia bad. My problem is I haven't found anyone*/anywhere that lists the different stones construction & binder.

(*except for Jon's posts here. I understand he has the Gesshin line, so providing info about his competitors is really above and beyond. But he has consistently helped out and is truly the only source I've found that seems more than anecdotal. Certainly he's more credible than the sources that are self-contradictory when you dig beyond their most recent opinion.)


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## kayman67 (Jan 31, 2020)

Changing opinion and evolving is rather a good thing.


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## labor of love (Jan 31, 2020)

So I just realized all the comments I made on this thread were actually in reference to the other sigma 6k(pink speckled).
This one sounds like a winner.


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## Yet-Another-Dave (Jan 31, 2020)

kayman67 said:


> Changing opinion and evolving is rather a good thing.



That depends on the subject. Evolving opinions based on experience is good. Making technical statements about something's properties really shouldn't change. I'd argue whether a stone *can* be perma-soaked is a property and doesn't change. Whether it *should* be perma-soaked is an opinion and subject to different goals, situations, and experiences.


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## vicv (Jan 31, 2020)

labor of love said:


> So I just realized all the comments I made on this thread were actually in reference to the other sigma 6k(pink speckled).
> This one sounds like a winner.


This thread is about the pink speckled one I believe. Also called the jinzo renge suita. Sigma has two 6k stones. That and the select II. They're both excellent but in my experience both too fine for knife use. For tool use they are excellent


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## labor of love (Jan 31, 2020)

I’m so confused!
Okay, so I guess I need to search for info for the power select 6k.


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## vicv (Jan 31, 2020)

There's the power ceramic and the select II. No power select. Lol


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## labor of love (Jan 31, 2020)

https://www.mtckitchen.com/sigma-power-select-ii-6000-knife-sharpening-stone-splash-and-go/

Whatever you want to call this stone then.
It appears MTC calls it power select


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## vicv (Jan 31, 2020)

It's the select II stone. Says in the same. Them Them adding the word power is incorrect. I wish tfj was still there


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## labor of love (Jan 31, 2020)

Starting a new thread.


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## kayman67 (Feb 2, 2020)

Yet-Another-Dave said:


> That depends on the subject. Evolving opinions based on experience is good. Making technical statements about something's properties really shouldn't change. I'd argue whether a stone *can* be perma-soaked is a property and doesn't change. Whether it *should* be perma-soaked is an opinion and subject to different goals, situations, and experiences.



I understand that the properties of something can't change. I also understand that our understanding of those properties can change. This very well might change the technical part.
It's very hard to admit change. We are hardwired not to. But it's definitely a good thing to admit change.


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## vicv (Feb 2, 2020)

Stu Tierney says all the sigma stones can be permasoaked. My friend has this stone and it lives in a water bucket. Has for over 5 years


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## Nino-chan (Feb 4, 2020)

interesting review


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