# Good Stone Brands?!?



## TEWNCfarms (Apr 12, 2018)

So I bought a king double 1000/6000 and have been wearing it down and want to get some new ones in the next month or so. The only ones that I have found that seem really good without spending hundreds--and even these I don't know the brands of--but the only brand I found was the Korin brand whetstones, they're about $50. they have a 1000, 1200, 2000, 6000, and 8000. I sharpen my knives--because I use them for work-- about twice a week. So I was wondering if I should get a 2000, or maybe just go with a 1200. and then a 6000 for the fine. What do you all think? And what are some Good brands that I could look into? Not just the average King, etc... I appreciate the help. 

I also have a Naniwa 220 Flattening stone and Nagura 220.


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 13, 2018)

Also I do Not want two sided stones. I find them to be more trouble especially if your sharpen regularly...


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## valgard (Apr 13, 2018)

the King Hyper 1k (standard not soft) is totally different from the regular line, good stone at a good price. Very fast, nice feedback, even nice finish. Dishes much less than the regular king crap but still does. The Watanabe 1k is harder and even faster but shipping puts it in a different price category. Get an atoma 140 or dmt extra coarse for proper flattening.


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## GorillaGrunt (Apr 13, 2018)

Are the Gesshin stones out of your price range? $75 each for the 1200 and 6000.


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## labor of love (Apr 13, 2018)

Anything is possible. You could get some pretty good stuff $50-60 for mid and finisher grit or pay $10-20 more per stone for nicer stuff. Or pay much more too.


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## banjo1071 (Apr 13, 2018)

Nakayama and Suita are very good brands ;-)


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## Badgertooth (Apr 13, 2018)

banjo1071 said:


> Nakayama and Suita are very good brands ;-)



My man [emoji1363]


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## Jovidah (Apr 13, 2018)

It sort of depends on location; some brands are cheaper (or easier to find) in the US while some are cheaper in Europe.
For a budget solution the old recommendation used to be 'Imanishi Bester 1200 + Suehiro Rika 5000'. I don't think those stones have started to suck overnight...

And honestly a lot of good stone can be had for relatively little when one shops around. For example I absolutely love my Arashiyama 6000, which can be found relatively cheaply if one's willing to look. Love it more than my Naniwa Pro 5000 which is sold for more than twice as much money.... so price isn't necessarily the best indicator.

Don't throw more money into the Naniwa flattening stones (I made that mistake too); go diamond for flattening. The flatteners will clog and glo slow, and eventually might need flattening themselves.


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 13, 2018)

valgard said:


> the King Hyper 1k (standard not soft) is totally different from the regular line, good stone at a good price. Very fast, nice feedback, even nice finish. Dishes much less than the regular king crap but still does. The Watanabe 1k is harder and even faster but shipping puts it in a different price category. Get an atoma 140 or dmt extra coarse for proper flattening.





GorillaGrunt said:


> Are the Gesshin stones out of your price range? $75 each for the 1200 and 6000.





labor of love said:


> Anything is possible. You could get some pretty good stuff $50-60 for mid and finisher grit or pay $10-20 more per stone for nicer stuff. Or pay much more too.





Jovidah said:


> It sort of depends on location; some brands are cheaper (or easier to find) in the US while some are cheaper in Europe.
> For a budget solution the old recommendation used to be 'Imanishi Bester 1200 + Suehiro Rika 5000'. I don't think those stones have started to suck overnight...
> 
> And honestly a lot of good stone can be had for relatively little when one shops around. For example I absolutely love my Arashiyama 6000, which can be found relatively cheaply if one's willing to look. Love it more than my Naniwa Pro 5000 which is sold for more than twice as much money.... so price isn't necessarily the best indicator.
> ...



Yeah Im down to pay a little extra if its really worth it..?
And I definitely shop around and usually scour ebay to find cheap deals. Arashiyama ive heard of that one...
I was going to go for the diamond but couldnt find any really without spending like $200. On eBay they were all really thin and small, I didnt know if they would really work.
Thanks everyone for all your responses I cant wait to check out the recommendations!


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## K813zra (Apr 13, 2018)

Brands alone, well loads of them are good.

King, Imanishi, Suehiro, Naniwa, Shapton, Sigma etc. Then your house brands from JKI (Gesshin), Korin (Mizuyama), JNS (Matukusuyama), Watanabe (AI) etc are also good. Beyond that you have to look at lines. King Delux stones work fine, regardless of what some people say, but that does not mean that they are 'great stones'. Better are, as already mentioned, the Hyper stones but these are harder to find and normally have higher shipping cost. Similar to the Watanabe AI stones, which remind me of Shapton M15 stones. They are good but costly when shipping is included and I find that the Shapton Pro 1k/2k stones work as a fair facsimile. Speaking of shapton you have the Pro stones (Ha No Kuromaku), Glass, M5, M15 and M24 stones. (I like the first two series best.) Naniwa offers tons of lines but the two most common will be the Super Stones (Sharpening Series) and the Chosera (Professional Stones) and of the two most prefer the harder/faster Chosera stones. Suehiro and Imanishi offer tons of stones under different lines and some are good, some great and some suck. Etc etc etc. 

So, stone brands and stones series that are good are plentiful! My suggestions is to find one of the respected dealers in your region and see what they have then go from there. You want simple utility that works every time? Everything else be damned? Shapton. You want the same but are willing to spend more and gain a wee bit of feedback, Chosera. You want subtle nuances then you can go with the Suehiro and or Imanishi stones and hunt down the particular stones for each of your needs. You want the same thing with more comfort and customer support? Gesshin or Matukusuyam stones are the way to go. Or as others have mentioned, you want functional stones that do all kinds of neat things and will drag you into an endless rabbit hole then go for naturals. I might hold off on this one if I were you though!

It can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. As cheap or expensive as you can afford. Call/email a local vendor, explain what you want to do with your stones and what advantages you would like to have and go from there. Jon and Max, in my experience are the best about this sort of thing but Mr. Watanabe is super helpful too!

Good luck!


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 13, 2018)

K813zra said:


> Brands alone, well loads of them are good.
> 
> King, Imanishi, Suehiro, Naniwa, Shapton, Sigma etc. Then your house brands from JKI (Gesshin), Korin (Mizuyama), JNS (Matukusuyama), Watanabe (AI) etc are also good. Beyond that you have to look at lines. King Delux stones work fine, regardless of what some people say, but that does not mean that they are 'great stones'. Better are, as already mentioned, the Hyper stones but these are harder to find and normally have higher shipping cost. Similar to the Watanabe AI stones, which remind me of Shapton M15 stones. They are good but costly when shipping is included and I find that the Shapton Pro 1k/2k stones work as a fair facsimile. Speaking of shapton you have the Pro stones (Ha No Kuromaku), Glass, M5, M15 and M24 stones. (I like the first two series best.) Naniwa offers tons of lines but the two most common will be the Super Stones (Sharpening Series) and the Chosera (Professional Stones) and of the two most prefer the harder/faster Chosera stones. Suehiro and Imanishi offer tons of stones under different lines and some are good, some great and some suck. Etc etc etc.
> 
> ...



Awesome! I really appreciate the help! I found some hypers on eBay for $65... I dont think theres a local dealer around me, Im in southeastern NC, maybe Raleigh. Should I go for 1k or 2k if Im sharpening twice a week? I cant wait to check out all these brands. What series are best from suehiro and iminishi?


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## harlock0083 (Apr 13, 2018)

Honestly, as long as it's not some weird "natural" stone from China you're probably good to go with any brand K813zra listed.


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## valgard (Apr 13, 2018)

TEWNCfarms said:


> Awesome! I really appreciate the help! I found some hypers on eBay for $65... I dont think theres a local dealer around me, Im in southeastern NC, maybe Raleigh. Should I go for 1k or 2k if Im sharpening twice a week? I cant wait to check out all these brands. What series are best from suehiro and iminishi?



I've never used the 2K, only the 1K standard hardness Hyper.


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## Grunt173 (Apr 13, 2018)

Very good advice in post number 10.


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## Eloh (Apr 13, 2018)

Personally i would recomennd the following setup, wich is what i use 95% of the time nowadays:

Shapton Pro 1000 (=watanabe AI1000)
Kitayama 8000

Atoma 400 as flattening stone


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## K813zra (Apr 13, 2018)

Eloh said:


> Personally i would recomennd the following setup, wich is what i use 95% of the time nowadays:
> 
> Shapton Pro 1000 (=watanabe AI1000)
> Kitayama 8000
> ...



I use that setup a lot too.


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## labor of love (Apr 13, 2018)

Shapton Pro 1k is similar to watanabe AI 1k?


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 13, 2018)

Eloh said:


> Personally i would recomennd the following setup, wich is what i use 95% of the time nowadays:
> 
> Shapton Pro 1000 (=watanabe AI1000)
> Kitayama 8000
> ...



Isnt Shapton Pro ceramic?


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## woodworkcan (Apr 13, 2018)

Eloh said:


> Personally i would recomennd the following setup, wich is what i use 95% of the time nowadays:
> 
> Shapton Pro 1000 (=watanabe AI1000)
> Kitayama 8000
> ...



You go directly from 1000 to 8000 grit?

It depends on the job, but for a few reasons I prefer have something in the middle 3000-5000 or even to stop at that point.


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## K813zra (Apr 13, 2018)

woodworkcan said:


> You go directly from 1000 to 8000 grit?
> 
> It depends on the job, but for a few reasons I prefer have something in the middle 3000-5000 or even to stop at that point.



Going directly from 1k to 8k without spending too much time on the 8k seems to leave a fair amount of bite in the edge similar to what one would get by fully working out their 4-6k stone. Or at least that has been my experience, an aggressive edge. Now, if you add something like a 2-5k as you suggest I find the edge very, very refined which I personally don't like for most tasks in my home kitchen. 

Anyway, that is just me. Though a fair few people seem to like the 1k/8k in this particular case. 

Honestly, if I am not throwing a lazy edge on I normally go 1k-2k shapton pro to an aoto and stop there. If I want a wee bit more refinement I might move on to a Yaginosihma Asagi or a Takashima.  I prefer this because it allows for the refinement of a 8k(ish) stone with the bite of a 3-5k stone. Ymmv.


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## woodworkcan (Apr 13, 2018)

K813zra said:


> Going directly from 1k to 8k without spending too much time on the 8k seems to leave a fair amount of bite in the edge similar to what one would get by fully working out their 4-6k stone. Or at least that has been my experience, an aggressive edge. Now, if you add something like a 2-5k as you suggest I find the edge very, very refined which I personally don't like for most tasks in my home kitchen.
> 
> Anyway, that is just me. Though a fair few people seem to like the 1k/8k in this particular case.
> 
> Honestly, if I am not throwing a lazy edge on I normally go 1k-2k shapton pro to an aoto and stop there. If I want a wee bit more refinement I might move on to a Yaginosihma Asagi or a Takashima.  I prefer this because it allows for the refinement of a 8k(ish) stone with the bite of a 3-5k stone. Ymmv.



From what I understand, you will leave the larger "teeth" formed by the 1000 grit, and smooth out only the highest "peaks" with the 8000. Now I get it. Thanks for clarifying your technique.


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## K813zra (Apr 13, 2018)

woodworkcan said:


> From what I understand, you will leave the larger "teeth" formed by the 1000 grit, and smooth out only the highest "peaks" with the 8000. Now I get it. Thanks for clarifying your technique.



No problem, that sounds about right.


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## HRC_64 (Apr 13, 2018)

Not sure if its been mentioned but the Chosera 800 
is same price range as King Hyper 1k ($63 delivered)

splash and go and cuts everything with
well regarded feedback and stays flat.

Also a wide range stone that is as fine
as most 1-1.2k stones.


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 13, 2018)

K813zra said:


> Going directly from 1k to 8k without spending too much time on the 8k seems to leave a fair amount of bite in the edge similar to what one would get by fully working out their 4-6k stone. Or at least that has been my experience, an aggressive edge. Now, if you add something like a 2-5k as you suggest I find the edge very, very refined which I personally don't like for most tasks in my home kitchen.
> 
> Anyway, that is just me. Though a fair few people seem to like the 1k/8k in this particular case.
> 
> Honestly, if I am not throwing a lazy edge on I normally go 1k-2k shapton pro to an aoto and stop there. If I want a wee bit more refinement I might move on to a Yaginosihma Asagi or a Takashima.  I prefer this because it allows for the refinement of a 8k(ish) stone with the bite of a 3-5k stone. Ymmv.



Is going from 1k to 6k too much? Or should there be an in between? Like should I get a 1 or 2k, 4K, and 8k?


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## K813zra (Apr 13, 2018)

TEWNCfarms said:


> Is going from 1k to 6k too much? Or should there be an in between? Like should I get a 1 or 2k, 4K, and 8k?



Side not first: HRC_64 is right, the Cho 800 is a wicked badass stone. 

I don't find the 1-6k jump too much at all. Some people do though. I really depends on you and what you like. The good thing is that you can get a 1k and a 6k or a 1k and an 8k and add a 2, 3, 4 or 5k later if you want.


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 13, 2018)

K813zra said:


> Side not first: HRC_64 is right, the Cho 800 is a wicked badass stone.
> 
> I don't find the 1-6k jump too much at all. Some people do though. I really depends on you and what you like. The good thing is that you can get a 1k and a 6k or a 1k and an 8k and add a 2, 3, 4 or 5k later if you want.


haha nice i'll have to check it out. what exactly is the difference though when using a 3 or 4K in between 1 & 6/8K?


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## Jovidah (Apr 13, 2018)

IMO whether the jump is too large depends a bit on how easy a steel is to sharpen. On more annoying steels like VG-10 I found it to be helpful to put the 3k in between my 1k and 6k. On easy carbons or semi-stainless I don't bother; it still goes fast on a 6k anyway.


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 13, 2018)

Jovidah said:


> IMO whether the jump is too large depends a bit on how easy a steel is to sharpen. On more annoying steels like VG-10 I found it to be helpful to put the 3k in between my 1k and 6k. On easy carbons or semi-stainless I don't bother; it still goes fast on a 6k anyway.


ohh okay, so it makes it easier on certain steels. I do know I sharpened a couple guys Wustof Pros from work, and they were a real paint to get an edge on them; same with that cheap carbon yanagabi I got (that has No uroashi) it took me Forever to remove the manufactured wedge bevel and make the shinogi (I think) line all the way down to the edge.


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 13, 2018)

so is ceramic better? I don't know if I want ceramic...


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 14, 2018)

I was looking around, and is it really worth it that much to buy a $70 stone? what's so bad about getting a $20-30 stone? Like the King Deluxes? or some of the suehiro's? and what's so big about ceramic? I think I like the mud creators. but again I don't much at all... that's why im asking


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## K813zra (Apr 14, 2018)

TEWNCfarms said:


> I was looking around, and is it really worth it that much to buy a $70 stone? what's so bad about getting a $20-30 stone? Like the King Deluxes? or some of the suehiro's? and what's so big about ceramic? I think I like the mud creators. but again I don't much at all... that's why im asking



A lot of factors come into play. Going past a simple king combo will get you a few things. You will not have to flatten as often, as such you will not use up as much stone so quickly. You will, most often, get a faster cutting stone as well. You might, if you so choose, get a stone that does not require soaking in water, which means it will not have to sit out for days at a time drying or live in a pond of water for the rest of its life. Also, if you go true splash and go, such a shapton, you do not have to worry about cracking and or crazing when the stone drys. Mostly because they hold water atop so well that you actually have to push it off to dry it rather than letting it sit. Unlike some resoniod stones that I have used that are said to be splash and go but dry slowly and very unevenly. 

Again, up to you. A King works for many, many people. But there is value in going beyond that if only for convenience sake, for many.


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 14, 2018)

K813zra said:


> A lot of factors come into play. Going past a simple king combo will get you a few things. You will not have to flatten as often, as such you will not use up as much stone so quickly. You will, most often, get a faster cutting stone as well. You might, if you so choose, get a stone that does not require soaking in water, which means it will not have to sit out for days at a time drying or live in a pond of water for the rest of its life. Also, if you go true splash and go, such a shapton, you do not have to worry about cracking and or crazing when the stone drys. Mostly because they hold water atop so well that you actually have to push it off to dry it rather than letting it sit. Unlike some resoniod stones that I have used that are said to be splash and go but dry slowly and very unevenly.
> 
> Again, up to you. A King works for many, many people. But there is value in going beyond that if only for convenience sake, for many.



Cool you definitely answered my question! I was just thinking about that about Not having to soak the stones. And I have to flatten this stone all the time and I didnt flatten at the beginning so its low on one end of the 1k side.

What about using a nagura stone on ceramics? Should this be done or not necessary? The ceramics definitely seem nice, but I just feel like a mud creator is better because of, the mud. Do natural stones create mud?


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## bennyprofane (Apr 14, 2018)

labor of love said:


> Shapton Pro 1k is similar to watanabe AI 1k?



Very likely the same stone. A user in the German forum had both and compared them, the look and act the same.


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## HRC_64 (Apr 14, 2018)

Options for 2 stone sequence:

sp1k + kitayama 8k ($100)
or cho 800 + Hayabusa 4k ($103)
or Cerax + rika 5k ($90)
SP1k +SP 2K +loaded strop ~3-5k ($78 +strop)

Kings KDS is 1k+6k,
about $85 or so for two separate
stones, or $65 for two-sided stone.

(The price savings on the king, it seems,
is really limited to combo stones
or the residential sized stones.)


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 14, 2018)

HRC_64 said:


> Options for 2 stone sequence:
> 
> sp1k + kitayama 8k ($100)
> or cho 800 + Hayabusa 4k ($103)
> ...



Are these all ceramic?

Wouldnt it be better to get a 3 or 4K in between? Im trying to get a full set...


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## Jovidah (Apr 15, 2018)

This might be of use... it's sort of an overiew soaking chart that also lists more about the composition of most of the stones (although far from complete):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ehr9ajjuYGrt5Ccw8KL0MGCufn25wtTsS7VyonC5iuI/edit?usp=sharing

The thread it originates from: http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...ct-need-help-Grand-UnifiedStone-Soaking-Chart

I'd also keep the Arashiyama 6000 in your 'consideration list'. It can be found surprisingly cheap even though it's a great stone. I far prefer it to my Naniwa professional (chosera) 5000 which in most places costs twice as much.


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## K813zra (Apr 15, 2018)

TEWNCfarms said:


> Cool you definitely answered my question! I was just thinking about that about Not having to soak the stones. And I have to flatten this stone all the time and I didnt flatten at the beginning so its low on one end of the 1k side.
> 
> What about using a nagura stone on ceramics? Should this be done or not necessary? The ceramics definitely seem nice, but I just feel like a mud creator is better because of, the mud. Do natural stones create mud?



You can use a nagura as a cleaning stone, if we are talking synthetic nagura but I would not leave the slurry atop the stone as it is normally an unknown or at least unwanted grit size. But it really isn't needed. Flattening your stone will clean all of the old residue off anyway. If you want a cleaning stone look at the DMT mini stones in 600 mesh. They work great for raising a slurry and cleaning and are very cheap. You can use them to change the texture of your stone after flattening too, ie smoothing. 

As for natural stones, some make mud on their own over time, some make mud quickly, others make no mud and people like to use a nagura. It really can get much more complicated than that if you really want to get into that but I would get grounded and check out a few synthetics first to learn your preferences.



bennyprofane said:


> Very likely the same stone. A user in the German forum had both and compared them, the look and act the same.



At the time I tried one I thought it was identical to my shapton M15. Close enough to my pro (Ha no kuromaku).


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## Tler (Apr 15, 2018)

HRC_64 said:


> Not sure if its been mentioned but the Chosera 800
> is same price range as King Hyper 1k ($63 delivered)
> 
> splash and go and cuts everything with
> ...



Where are you finding a chosera 800 for $63 delivered? I can't find it anywhere


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## Xenif (Apr 15, 2018)

Im so tired of my King 1k, it does its job but dishs too quickly. Hope I dont open a cannof worms here but if you had one 1k or something around there, splash, soaker, diamond, jnat, fairy dust strop, etc no limit on budget nor size, and you can ONLY have one for the rest of your life, what will that stone be !? (Sit back with &#127871


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## Chef Doom (Apr 15, 2018)

You can never go wrong with the Geshin brand.

If you can find the big clay brick @1000 grit, it will last forever and can be a door stop at the same time.


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## K813zra (Apr 15, 2018)

Xenif said:


> Im so tired of my King 1k, it does its job but dishs too quickly. Hope I dont open a cannof worms here but if you had one 1k or something around there, splash, soaker, diamond, jnat, fairy dust strop, etc no limit on budget nor size, and you can ONLY have one for the rest of your life, what will that stone be !? (Sit back with &#127871



Hum, I like my shapton pro 1k more than the others I have used. That is not to say that it is the best 1k I have used because it is not. What it is, for me, is a well balanced stone for my needs and it and the 2k go well with my natural stones and my style. Honestly though if I could only have one medium grit stone I would actually prefer the pro 2k but the 1k is more realistic for your scenario.

These kind of questions, for me, are silly though because I don't think I would ever want to get by with just one stone. But I like to play along anyway. 

If I could only have one Naka-to (mid grit natural) what would it be? Well, that is a tough one. I am a Naka-to nut. Maybe my "vintage" binsui from Watanabe. I know, that sounds silly because they are so common and really not all that efficient, right? Maybe but I like mine. Raise a little slurry, or a lot, with a diamond plate and it becomes an aggressive monster and particularly if you use loads of pressure. You can raise a burr easily but if you lighten up, a lot, over time it will finish at about 2k. So it has range and it feels good in use. Plus it is pretty. :lol2:

But I love my aoto and similar stones such as monzen...um. This is harder than I thought. Better stick with what synthetics I would keep, that list is so much shorter.


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 16, 2018)

K813zra said:


> Hum, I like my shapton pro 1k more than the others I have used. That is not to say that it is the best 1k I have used because it is not. What it is, for me, is a well balanced stone for my needs and it and the 2k go well with my natural stones and my style. Honestly though if I could only have one medium grit stone I would actually prefer the pro 2k but the 1k is more realistic for your scenario.
> 
> These kind of questions, for me, are silly though because I don't think I would ever want to get by with just one stone. But I like to play along anyway.
> 
> ...



See I really want a natural stone honestly! I saw on the Korin instructional videos that he uses a natural stone , but it was higher on one side than the other, I assume from how he used it his angle. So my thing is, do you just ride it out? Do you try and flatten naturals? Whats the price point for these? Personally Im a naturalist, I like to go back to the origins, and natural stones are just that.


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## K813zra (Apr 16, 2018)

TEWNCfarms said:


> See I really want a natural stone honestly! I saw on the Korin instructional videos that he uses a natural stone , but it was higher on one side than the other, I assume from how he used it his angle. So my thing is, do you just ride it out? Do you try and flatten naturals? Whats the price point for these? Personally Im a naturalist, I like to go back to the origins, and natural stones are just that.



I guess it depends on the person. I flatten natuarl stones if I feel they need it and particularly if I buy a rough stone that needs some work. However, a flat stone can still be slanted, if that makes sense. I would not waste 3,4,5mm+ of stone trying to even that out. I would just use it. 

Naturals range the gamut when it comes to cost. I have seen small koppa as cheap as $35 and stones that go for well over $1000. There are a multitude of reasons for this. Sure, rarity plays a role but size, shape and aesthetics have a lot to do with price. My experience, so far (30+ naturals), has told me that price does not often reflect performance so long as you are buying from a reputable dealer. But I tend to get my stones cheaper specifically because I buy smaller stones.  (I am cheap.)

Anyway, natural stones, particularly Awase-to (finishing stones) can be had at a reasonable price. Jon at JKI normally has Oouchi and Hideriyama in stock for $200 or less, at least lately and these are pretty decent stones. Max at Japanses natural stone often times has some smaller type 100 and koppa stones for a good price. His recent batch of Mizukhara were quite nice for around $100 but I don't think there are any left. He does have, or did have some Takashima Koppa left. Also good stones. Watanabe has a koppa page if you want to save some cash but shipping stones direct from Japan is costly. Even a small stone normally is $20+ to ship and larger stones around $50. Aframes Tokyo is a good place to shop but his stones grading system is a bit different than the others as are his descriptions.

This, if you choose to go this route, can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. But if you do go with a natural my suggestion is to start with something in the Lv 2-3 range for hardness on a JNS scale. That is about an 8-8.3 on the Aframes scale and about HS40-45(ish) for Watanabe. A cheap Naka-to or Aoto is another route you can take as well. A different beast though.

Also, there are a load of knowledgeable guys on here, much more so than myself, so if you do decide to go for naturals, ask loads of questions if you want to. Someone will have an answer!


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## TEWNCfarms (Apr 16, 2018)

K813zra said:


> I guess it depends on the person. I flatten natuarl stones if I feel they need it and particularly if I buy a rough stone that needs some work. However, a flat stone can still be slanted, if that makes sense. I would not waste 3,4,5mm+ of stone trying to even that out. I would just use it.
> 
> Naturals range the gamut when it comes to cost. I have seen small koppa as cheap as $35 and stones that go for well over $1000. There are a multitude of reasons for this. Sure, rarity plays a role but size, shape and aesthetics have a lot to do with price. My experience, so far (30+ naturals), has told me that price does not often reflect performance so long as you are buying from a reputable dealer. But I tend to get my stones cheaper specifically because I buy smaller stones.  (I am cheap.)
> 
> ...



Man thats a lot of information! I didnt realize it went so deep, thanks for your help for real! I saw they have Natural Nagura stones too, they are only like $30, shoot my synth nagura was like $25 alone


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