# Morihei Hishiboshi comparison to Naniwa and Shapton?



## josemartinlopez (Jun 28, 2020)

I'm looking for splash and go stones to minimize space and time for soaking/drying. I keep seeing recent references to Morihei Hishiboshi stones which are splash and go and recomendations to visit the Morihei store if actually in Tokyo, but very little discussion of how they compare to Shapton Glass/Pro and Naniwa Pro stones. Does anyone have actual experience with the Moriheis and another series and can offer a comparison?


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## soigne_west (Jun 28, 2020)

Morihei 3k and 4K synths


Anybody have experience with the Morihei synthetic 3k and 4K? https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/sharpening/products/morihei-hishiboshi-whetstone-3000-green https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/sharpening/products/morihei-suzu-whetstone-4000 Splash and go 3-4K stone would be great to have...




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First impressions & comparisons: Morihei Hishiboshi 500, 1000, 4000


I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas! Mine was certainly nice, not least since I got a new set of sharpening stones: the Morihei Hishiboshi 500, 1000, and 4000 splash & go stones. These stones are fairly new to the market, and the information on them is limited, so I figured that sharing my...




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## soigne_west (Jun 28, 2020)

I only have the 3k. A little slower and not as aggressive as cho & shap. Great feedback. Nice edges. Good for wide bevel work.


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## KingShapton (Jun 28, 2020)

soigne_west said:


> I only have the 3k. A little slower and not as aggressive as cho & shap. Great feedback. Nice edges. Good for wide bevel work.


Can you explain "Nice edges"? Does it mean good polish, good bite, or what does it mean?


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## soigne_west (Jun 28, 2020)

Nice "toothy" edges to be more clear.


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## zizirex (Jun 28, 2020)

I have the 500, 6K and 9K. 500 is one of my fav coarse stone. cuts as fast as Cho 400, finishes better. the only con is it soaks up water for the first 5 minutes. 6K is my fav finisher, nice contrast, nice feedback, cuts faster than Arashiyama, polish better but toothier edge. 9K is a medium-hard stone, I use it for razor and woodworking tools, it leaves a very fine edge, I heard it produce edge higher than 9K, but I don't have something else to compare to.

4K leaves the best contrast from all range, followed by the 12K and 6K. 8K is the least contrast maker.


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## josemartinlopez (Jun 28, 2020)

soigne_west said:


> Morihei 3k and 4K synths
> 
> 
> Anybody have experience with the Morihei synthetic 3k and 4K? https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/sharpening/products/morihei-hishiboshi-whetstone-3000-green https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/sharpening/products/morihei-suzu-whetstone-4000 Splash and go 3-4K stone would be great to have...
> ...


Thanks, these were the first things I looked at but didn't have as much detail as I hoped for. So would you consider the Morihei stones over Shapton and Naniwa if you value feedback over speed? I take it the difference in speed is not that much?


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## josemartinlopez (Jun 28, 2020)

zizirex said:


> the only con is it soaks up water for the first 5 minutes.


I thought the Moriheis were true splash and go stones. Or is this just the 500 and just how coarser stones in general are?


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## soigne_west (Jun 28, 2020)

josemartinlopez said:


> Thanks, these were the first things I looked at but didn't have as much detail as I hoped for. So would you consider the Morihei stones over Shapton and Naniwa if you value feedback over speed? I take it the difference in speed is not that much?



I’ve only tried the one, but I would say I prefer my SG2 and Cho 3k over the morihei. All three feel nice just different. The 3k morihei is suggested to be soaked 2-3 mins before using. After that I don’t find it all that thirsty.


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## josemartinlopez (Jun 28, 2020)

soigne_west said:


> I would say I prefer my SG2 and Cho 3k over the morihei. All three feel nice just different.


Because the Morihei is slightly slower and you don't value feedback? How are SG2000 and Cho3000 different for you?


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## soigne_west (Jun 28, 2020)

Chosera 3000 literally might have some of the nicest feedback on a stone I’ve tried. Very fast. SG 2 has nice feedback as well but it’s on the harder side. Cuts very fast also. For me I would say the morihei falls in between. Not as great of feedback as the chosera in terms of feel, marginally better then the SG2k. But slower, less aggressive. I bought it out of curiosity, it was was $58 and for that price I’d say it punches above its weight, but still prefer chosera.


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## zizirex (Jun 30, 2020)

josemartinlopez said:


> I thought the Moriheis were true splash and go stones. Or is this just the 500 and just how coarser stones in general are?


yes, it's just the first time use after storing. the 500 soaks up because it's coarse. If you ask about how coarse, I couldn't really see a big difference with Cho 400 in terms of cutting speed. Of course, the 500 finishes better than cho400. the Morihei 500 cuts slightly faster than SG500 but, finishes the same edge with a better finish.

To be honest Naniwa Pro/Chosera line is a bit overrated. Except for the 3k and 800, which are worth it one, other than those two, I'll rather go with Shapton or Suehiro. The problem is in Canada, Naniwa has bigger market and well distributor, while Shapton just came in the last 2 years. Availability is what makes Naniwa more favourable for some people. I remember when I was in the States (NY & DC), I never see Naniwa and only saw Shapton, King and Imanishi because those are the best bang for the bucks.


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