# Best stones for a beginner (who doesn't want to buy new ones in six months :)



## Colonel Mustard (Sep 29, 2018)

Well, the title pretty much sums it. After many nights searching for the best stones and realizing how vast of a world sharpening is, I need your help.

First of all, I'm located in Canada so a canadian retailer would be great or an international seller with cheap shipping costs (although I'm not too sure how duty fees work).

I'm still not sure if I will start with just a 1000 grit stone to start with or buy a set right away. Feel free to give me your advice on this. (And if you feel it's worth it to start with a set, which three grits would you get?)

The stones would be used to sharpen a Yoshikane SKD Santoku, a Yu Kurosaki Shizuku R2 gyuto and and old four stars Henckels.

If I can, I'd like to keep it under 300$

Any thoughts?

Many thanks!


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## Mute-on (Sep 29, 2018)

JNS 300, 1000, Red Aoto Matukusuyama. Free shipping and 15% off. 

You will be all set for years.


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## V1P (Sep 30, 2018)

That’s a solid recommendation, Mute-on.


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## valgard (Sep 30, 2018)

I live in Canada too. Getting good stuff right off the bat is the best. 1k either King Hyper, Shapton Pro/Watanabe, and JNS are stones I would recommend, JNS is the best all around IMO. 
Past that, the Rika 5k is good for sharpening, or the Arashiyama.
Low grit is hard because I'm not crazy about any low grit stone but Naniwa Chosera 400, SG 500 and 320, are all decent (my favorite low grit is expensive and discontinued anyways). Make sure that you get an Atoma 140 (HobbyJapan or something like that on eBay is the cheapest, Metal master is good price too, also for Arashiyama).
JNS obviously from JNS, King Hyper from eBay or Yahoo. Knifewear used to carry the Naniwa Chosera 400 but I don't know now.


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## valgard (Sep 30, 2018)

Mute-on said:


> JNS 300, 1000, Red Aoto Matukusuyama. Free shipping and 15% off.
> 
> You will be all set for years.


I have only used the 1k and it's great but this could be a solid rec if you want to buy from a single source.


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## Migraine (Sep 30, 2018)

I bought a beginner set recently. Same sort of budget and ideas as you. I bought a JNS 1k and 6k but was steered away from their low grit stone and got a shapton glass 320 for that instead. I'm extremely happy with them all. As has been said you'll get free shipping on the JNS stones as they'll be over the their free shipping threshold, and it's 15% off! The 6k is out of stock but the red aoto is an alternative.

I've since added a natural finisher from Badgertooth (out of curiosity and extravagance not necessity) and I feel set for years to come


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## Xenif (Sep 30, 2018)

Hello fellow Canuck, welcome to the rabbit hole 

I started with a King 1/6k combo, but you also have much nicer knives vs when I started 

Before you decide what to buy you might want to ask yourself if you perfer soakers or splash and go. Generally soakers feel softer better and SnG are harder but faster. Soakers take longer to set up, unless you keep them soaked 100% of time. 

If I had to choose, first 3 things I buy would be 1)Atoma to keep everything flat, because no matter what you buy next it needs to be kept flat 2)mid grit stone of choice: Shapton 1k was mine, also have the 2k which I like. 3)Finishing stone, if I had to choose a synth probably a rika 5k, but I chose to got natural stones beyond 2k.

Shipping from japan I have never been taxed, but everytime Ive bought from JNS (Denmark) I have been "taxed" by DHL [emoji849]

Happy Hunting Colonel!


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## daveb (Sep 30, 2018)

300 should get you set up with a couple rocks, flattener, and even a stone holder. My first were a Bestor 1200 and Suehiro 5K that served well and were particularly good with German steels. I've since added more and can't say I've been disappointed in any of them. It's largely a carpenter not the hammer thing;.

Suggest you see what's available from Knifewear and Tosho, both Canadian retailers. JNS is a very good source for S&G. JKI is also very good but don't know how hard being in the states would make things.

The splash and go vs soaker decision is important. You'll want them both the same.


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## HRC_64 (Sep 30, 2018)

Second daveb comment about splash and go. 
I think you really have 2 options: 
permasoak and splash and go.

If you don't have the setup or ability
to permasoak I would recommend
going with splash and go. 

Especially if you need practice
they are easier to do quick touch ups
with, and this means more use/learning,
which means more progression.

Soakers have some advantages
but seem best for the king/kds
crowd (cheap + simple steels)
and/or more experienced people
wanting something very specific
(feedback) and willing to make
the setup or sacrafices.


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## valgard (Sep 30, 2018)

Permasoak can always be done in the toilet's water tank.


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## Matus (Sep 30, 2018)

JNS stones are nice, the 1k has great feed back, but is not particularly fast. The JNS 300 (apparently similar to Gesshin 320) feels smoother than 300, but is also slower than other coarse stones. But I do find it useful for repairs where I appreciate the hardness and slow wear as it makes the stone more precise. 

Today I start sharpening wither on Watanabe AI#1000 (== Shapton Pro 1k) or Gesshin 2000. The Gesshin has better feel and is a little softer, the AI is obviously even faster (actual grit is probably closer to 800). Then I finish with Gesshin Synthetic Natural which is the best synthetic finisher I have used till today that gives a great balance of fine edge that still has plenty bite. That is when I finish on a synthetic stone 

If you go with the Shapton Pro 1k, then you do not really need a 300/400 stone because the Shapton is fast enough for thinning work. And you should need a stone for a really coarse work, than go directly for Bester 220 or something similar.


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## Anteater (Sep 30, 2018)

I have a Chosera 800 in the mail. Is this a stone that can be permasoaked? I remember reading here that some stones, if left in water, will face some issues, but I'm having trouble cross-referencing which stones those actually are.


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## Nemo (Sep 30, 2018)

Anteater said:


> I have a Chosera 800 in the mail. Is this a stone that can be permasoaked? I remember reading here that some stones, if left in water, will face some issues, but I'm having trouble cross-referencing which stones those actually are.



Chosera is a splash and go Magnesia stone. Will risk cracking if you permasoak it. Maybe even if you just soak it for a few minutes, although some people feel that uuou need to do this to get the best out of them. FWIW, I use them as strictly splash & go and they work very well in this role.

I like Choseras... get the job done without fuss. Not great (read: completely useless) for contrast though.


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## Anteater (Sep 30, 2018)

Nemo said:


> Chosera is a splash and go Magnesia stone.



Oh, for some reason I had it in my head that it was a soaker. Well that's just as well, then.



Nemo said:


> Not great (read: completely useless) for contrast though.



Can you elaborate what you mean by "contrast?"


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## Colonel Mustard (Sep 30, 2018)

Thanks for all the help! I was about ready to pull the trigger on the JNS stones but it seems it is not september anymore in Danemark  so no 15% OFF. I guess it'll give me sometimes to continue searching and making sure what I want to buy (unless someone wants to part with its JNS stones...). I'm pretty much set on splash n' go stones.


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## Nemo (Oct 1, 2018)

Anteater said:


> Can you elaborate what you mean by "contrast?"



A contrast between the cladding and core steel.

This thread has some good examples:

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/index.php?threads/29820/


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## Anteater (Oct 1, 2018)

Nemo said:


> A contrast between the cladding and core steel.
> 
> This thread has some good examples:
> 
> https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/index.php?threads/29820/



Huh. I hadn't even really considered using what I thought of as "sharpening tools" to refinish the entire side of a blade. That's another rabbit hole I'm going to have to go down.

So the Chosera just doesn't tend to provide a good contrast if used for refinishing? What tends to?


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## Nemo (Oct 1, 2018)

You would only use stones on a wide bevel knife (or a single bevel).

Contrast ability and contrast character varies a lot from stone to stone. In general, harder stones are less good at it.


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## panda (Oct 1, 2018)

Chosera 800 only stone you need


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## Colonel Mustard (Oct 1, 2018)

panda said:


> Chosera 800 only stone you need



Is this for Anteater or for me?


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## panda (Oct 1, 2018)

For anyone


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## Ivang (Oct 2, 2018)

+ 1


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## PappaG (Oct 2, 2018)

I almost took advantage of this. The price was a little over $205 shipped to NJ for the JNS 300, 800 and 1000. Do you guys think that is a fair deal for these stones, shipped? I feel like its a little high, but these stones come well recommended.

to the original poster, if you are really having trouble, start out with a king 300, 1000 and or 1200 and then go from there. Reasonably cheap and then you can think about what you reall want after you get some experience. Otherwise, all good advice above.



Mute-on said:


> JNS 300, 1000, Red Aoto Matukusuyama. Free shipping and 15% off.
> 
> You will be all set for years.


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## Migraine (Oct 2, 2018)

An 800 and a 1000 grit stone are too close together to want both, surely?


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## HRC_64 (Oct 2, 2018)

Migraine said:


> An 800 and a 1000 grit stone are too close together to want both, surely?


 
Somethimes there is differnt purpose like the King 800 that does Kasumi polish,
but no Idea why you would otherwise have 800 and 1K in a normal progression.


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## PappaG (Oct 2, 2018)

Migraine said:


> An 800 and a 1000 grit stone are too close together to want both, surely?



Can't disagree, but I wanted and still want both! Not sure the prices were reasonable, even with the 15% off.


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## Grunt173 (Oct 2, 2018)

I have the Chosera 400,800 and 3000. I just use as splash and go only.Good stones but mine were fussy and all show the spider web cracks. I always dry them on a rack with good ventilation ,didn't seem to matter.I still use them and the cracks don't hurt. They are good stones and the 800 is the best of the lot to me.


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## Nemo (Oct 2, 2018)

I have Chosera 400,1k, 3k as well. Never had hany issues with cracking. Mine are lacquered (marine vearnish FWIW) and never soaked. Not even for a few seconds. I do live in a fairly dry environment, so not sure if that makes a difference.


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## Colonel Mustard (Oct 15, 2018)

So... After way too many hours reading and researching here is where i'm at right now. I'm trying to buy from Canadian retailers to avoid unexpected taxes and duties. So far, here's what I'm looking at for a three stone set. As stated before, these stones will be used on an old 4-star Henckels, a Yoshikane SKD Santoku and a Yu Kurosaki Shizuku R2 Gyuto.

Coarse stone: Naniwa pro 400 unless Shapton pro 320 would be as good for way less(but do I need a coarse stone right now?)

Medium: Naniwa pro 1000 (or would the 800 be better?) or Sigma power select II 1000 and curious about the Konosuke Sakura 1000 (anyone heard of it?)

Fine: Hesitating between Suehiro Rika 5000, Imanishi Arashiyama 6000 or Imanishi Kitayama 8000 (or are these two the same? After much reading, it's still unclear to me.)

A couple more questions:

Do I need to use an Atoma on the stones before even using them or can I wait to order one when my stones have dished a little?

How bad do I need a stone holder?

Any thoughts?

Many thanks!


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## Brandon Wicks (Oct 16, 2018)

Arashiyama and Kitayama are different stones. I've owned them both many years ago. Arashiyama was a good stone but nothing amazing to me. Better than a King 6000. The Kitayama on the other hand was a great stone. Some amazing crisp edges off that stone with a slight misty haze finish. 
I would recommend getting an Atoma or DMT for flattening right off the bat. You stones need to be flattened after every use and in most cases should flattened before the first use. Some can have a kind of a hard crust and or not be dead flat from the forming process when they are made. I made the mistake of waiting months before getting my first flattener and just thought my sharpening had gone to crap. This was before all these forums existed.


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## Grunt173 (Oct 16, 2018)

My Shapton Pro 320 works just fine when I need to use it and is much cheaper then the Cho 400. I still like using one of the first stones I bought and that is the Suehiro Rika 5000. I often use it as my final stone and seldom use my Kitty 8000.The Kitty is a great stone though. One thing I do agree on,don't wait to get a flattener,you will need one right from the start. I think I would toss in a Shapton Pro 1000 too,but of all the Shapton Pros,my 2000 is my favorite.When I sharpen my stainless,it is my finishing stone that give my edge the perfect bite. For a stone holder,even though I have a manufactured one,I often still grab a wood 2x4 with a wet micro towel draped over it for my stone holder,cheap and works just fine.I even made a sink bridge out of 2x4's which saved me a bunch of money. If you buy Shapton Pros,the box they come in serves as your stone holder.


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## galvaude (Oct 17, 2018)

The more experienced I get and the more I find myself not using many stones after the 1k level. Most of the time I just stop at ±1000 and that's it. If your knife is thin and has a good profile it is plenty.

Any 1k from most well know manufacturers will do. I would recommend you start with an agressive 1k stone as your only stone, something like a Shapton Pro 1k, Chosera 800 or Bester 1000 and learn on it and master it. Don't mess with polishing stones while developping your skills. After that get a good coarse stone.

Edit :
I'm also canadian. For shapton go with Fendrihan, they carry Shapton Glass and Pro in every grit (free shipping on orders over $50). For Naniwa, Paul's Finest is the place to go and he ships very fast. If you want cheaper, Lee Valley carry King (King 1200x is amazing), Bester and Sigma Power.


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## HRC_64 (Oct 17, 2018)

Alternatively, a good 2/3k can really keep you 
off the 1k for a while if edge is well setup.


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## inferno (Oct 17, 2018)

Colonel Mustard said:


> So... After way too many hours reading and researching here is where i'm at right now. I'm trying to buy from Canadian retailers to avoid unexpected taxes and duties. So far, here's what I'm looking at for a three stone set. As stated before, these stones will be used on an old 4-star Henckels, a Yoshikane SKD Santoku and a Yu Kurosaki Shizuku R2 Gyuto.
> 
> Coarse stone: Naniwa pro 400 unless Shapton pro 320 would be as good for way less(but do I need a coarse stone right now?)
> 
> ...



I would get the shapton pro over chosera 1k, and i have both.
for those knoves you have anything over lets say 3-4k grit is just wasted. I have a kurosaki in R2 too. And I feel even my 4k glass is waste of time on it when the 2k glass gets so close. But hey its your money.
Maybe a 3k glass would be the optimal finishing grit for r2? who knows?

I can tell you one thing though. get a fast cutting aggressive stone (like the white shapton glass). because r2 is very slow to grind/sharpen.

The shapton pro 320 and 1500 is formulated for *carbon steel only* and will glaze over and lose cutting power very very quickly on stainless.

if you are getting your atoma from the same shop as the rest of the stones get them at the same time imo. to save on shipping. Also get a rubber stone holder!

I have noticed at around 6k most steels start losing its "bite", they start hesitating on some vegetables. so a 2-4k is my preferred finishers for stainless at least. no need to go above that imo.

I'd rather have a 1k, a 2k, a 3k and a 4k than a 1k a 5k and an 8. Strongly diminishing returns above 2k.


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## Colonel Mustard (Oct 17, 2018)

galvaude said:


> I would recommend you start with an agressive 1k stone as your only stone, something like a Shapton Pro 1k, Chosera 800 or Bester 1000 and learn on it and master it. Don't mess with polishing stones while developping your skills. After that get a good coarse stone.


I am, indeed, starting to think that I should build my set one stone at a time as I've never sharpened a knife before.


HRC_64 said:


> Alternatively, a good 2/3k can really keep you
> off the 1k for a while if edge is well setup.


I'm not sure I get what you mean. Do you think that if my edge isn't too dull I could just do touch ups on a 2/3k stone?



inferno said:


> I would get the shapton pro over chosera 1k, and i have both.
> for those knoves you have anything over lets say 3-4k grit is just wasted. I have a kurosaki in R2 too. And I feel even my 4k glass is waste of time on it when the 2k glass gets so close. But hey its your money.
> Maybe a 3k glass would be the optimal finishing grit for r2? who knows?
> 
> I can tell you one thing though. get a fast cutting aggressive stone (like the white shapton glass). because r2 is very slow to grind/sharpen.


I'm curious, do you have the Megumi or the Shizuku?

I'm hesitating a bit about buying a very agressive stone at first since I don't wanna ruin my knives while practicing but maybe I have it all wrong. I'll probably end up buying a 1000 grit stone (still have to decide on which one) to start with and an atoma 140 and see where this gets me. 

Thanks for all the help!


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## Doug8066 (Oct 17, 2018)

By now you will probably be getting bewildered. I would be.
Let me add my own advice/experience. Living in New Zealand I have been through this hassle of buying from overseas too.
How about Norton Waterstones. 1000, 4000, 8000 and as a finishing stone - spoil yourself with one or two of these:- Naniwa Superstone 10,000, Shapton Pro 15,000 or GlassStone 15,000. And but a hunk of good leather and either Cr0 green powder or Diamond paste 0.5 microns to strop the edge after the stones.
The Norton stones I have found to be very good, but the 8,000 is nearer a 5,000 in grit size.
The final stropping is critical. Ouch! Soooo sharp


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## HRC_64 (Oct 17, 2018)

Colonel Mustard said:


> I'm not sure I get what you mean. Do you think that if my edge isn't too dull I could just do touch ups on a 2/3k stone?



Keep in mid this assumes you can get the knife "setup" on the 300 (bevels) and 1k (edge) first.


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## Grunt173 (Oct 18, 2018)

"I'd rather have a 1k, a 2k, a 3k and a 4k than a 1k a 5k and an 8. Strongly diminishing returns above 2k"

I approve this message.


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## inferno (Oct 18, 2018)

Colonel Mustard said:


> I am, indeed, starting to think that I should build my set one stone at a time as I've never sharpened a knife before.
> 
> I'm not sure I get what you mean. Do you think that if my edge isn't too dull I could just do touch ups on a 2/3k stone?
> 
> ...




i have the baseless newer "naniwa professional stone".
The shaptons are just faster cutting stones than many other brands. I wouldn't worry about ruining the knives. It still takes a long time to sharpen r2 for instance (relatively speaking). I have the 12k pro and even those cut very fast, where other brands stones just polish here.

The 1000 stone will be one of your most used stones. This is where it all starts. All little chips and damages will be handled by that stone. I would like to recommend the glass 1000 but since this will be a high use/wear stone I suggest the shapton pro instead, it simply has more material.

Now for stones above this grit you can get the thinner glass stones since these will last a lifetime anyway.

The 2k glass is very good, and so is the pro 2k. I have both of these and its hard to say which one I like better. They are both as good as it gets imo. This is also the finishing stone for most stainless for me and my customers. It creates sharp and aggressive cutting edges.

I think the 1k range is too low to finish on, its basically a saw  the 2k is not.

Or get the 3k I have heard from several people that this is their preferred finisher on SS, and it seems pretty optimal for that imo.

The glass 4k gets sharper than the 2k and puts on a better polish. But its still no real polish its just more shiny, its still hazy.
Its also much much slower than any of the 2k stones. And for most stainless this edge its just a waste of time to put on there. They can simply not hold this edge for very long, (or it wont get any sharper than off a 2k). Carbon like white 1/2 and blue 1/2 can though. And also many, if not all powder SS, but its still borderline imo. 12c27/13c26/aeb-l familiy steels can also utilize this but they dont really hold on to this for very long.

If i were you i would get a diamond stone and then a 1k, and then either a 2k a 3k or a 4k depending on how fast you want to sharpen and what steel you have and expect to get in the future. They are all compromises.


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## Nemo (Oct 18, 2018)

inferno said:


> Now for stones above this grit you can get the thinner glass stones since these will last a lifetime anyway.



How do you find the feedback on the glass stones?


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## ob-gym (Oct 18, 2018)

Colonel Mustard said:


> I'm hesitating a bit about buying a very agressive stone at first since I don't wanna ruin my knives while practicing but maybe I have it all wrong. I'll probably end up buying a 1000 grit stone (still have to decide on which one) to start with and an atoma 140 and see where this gets me.



While you WILL chip your knife at some point, and need a coarse stone to fix, there is nothing wrong with just buying a finishing stone to start. I had a Chosera 3000 as my first and only stone for months, which is actually fast enough to fix small chips, and is a great finisher on my R2 steel knife.

Atoma diamond plates are the best/easiest way to flatten, but not the only way. Sandpaper on a kitchen counter or flat sheet of glass/metal will work just fine for like $2.


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## panda (Oct 18, 2018)

shapton pro cuts hella fast but feels like doo-doo. glass series feels much better but nowhere near as fast.
seriously all you need is a chosera 800 to start, dont even need a flattener until later on.


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## Colonel Mustard (Oct 18, 2018)

panda said:


> shapton pro cuts hella fast but feels like doo-doo. glass series feels much better but nowhere near as fast.
> seriously all you need is a chosera 800 to start, dont even need a flattener until later on.


The chosera 800 would be a better starting stone than the 1000, you think?


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## panda (Oct 18, 2018)

yes


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## inferno (Oct 19, 2018)

Nemo said:


> How do you find the feedback on the glass stones?


excellent. But i like hard stones. I'd say the pro and glass feels very similar. I was just putting on a new edge on a vg10 knife with the pro2k. Its kinda dead feeling but its smooth as silk and gets the job done fast.

I think they are both very creamy and smooth above and including 2k, the glass might be slightly less aggressive cutting.
I also have a 6k gray "HC" glass stone. And that one definitely feels different to the regular glass. its about 50% slower cutting and "polishes" like my 12k pro (pros and white glass does not polish at all). 
It also feels different, its like there is small dots on it all over where the blade glides smoothly and these are embedded in a slightly not so smooth matrix kinda. or vice versa.
It feels softer than the white glass, but in reality they are the same actual hardness.

The reason I think pro/glass is better than choseras is that 1; they dont need soaking, true splash and go. 2; they wear very slow. 3; very fast cutting. 4; no stone powder slurry is formed on the stone. 5; they dry in minutes. 6; relatively cheap. 7; water seems to like staying on the actual stone.


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## inferno (Oct 19, 2018)

Colonel Mustard said:


> The chosera 800 would be a better starting stone than the 1000, you think?


if you are just getting 1 stone and and 1 diamond stone, I'd say get a 2k. its fast enough to fix chips and fine enough to get stuff sharp. a 1k will not give you sharp edges.

for a 3 stone setup get diamond and a 1k and a 2/3/4k depending what steels you intend to sharpen. cheap non powder SS = 2k

after this you can expand to maybe an 8k (for carbon steel) and a 500.

imo the best diamond stone for knives is the dmt coarse 325. you can go from this one directly to a 2k if you want.
the 325 and the 600 is the only good dmts, the finer ones does not actually create a finer edge. as opposed to common sense. 
This is proven with a scanning electron microscope on the blog "science of sharp", the diamond progression

atomas (i have the 400) are better for flattening stones but are so aggressive and destructive on steel that you will need a 500 regular stone just to clean up the destruction (imo).
but yeah they remove metal faster than dmts. Personally I would never put any of my knives even close to an atoma 140 or 150 or whatever it is. lol. no need for that.

the verdict on the choseras is that the 800 cuts/polishes like a 1000 and the 1000 like a 1500. the reason for this that they break down and creates slurry which polishes the edge somewhat.
shapton pro: the 1000 cuts like an 800 and the 2k like a 2k.

the choseras start getting expensive above 1k. and not really worth it.


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## Colonel Mustard (Oct 19, 2018)

inferno said:


> if you are just getting 1 stone and and 1 diamond stone, I'd say get a 2k. its fast enough to fix chips and fine enough to get stuff sharp. a 1k will not give you sharp edges.
> 
> for a 3 stone setup get diamond and a 1k and a 2/3/4k depending what steels you intend to sharpen. cheap non powder SS = 2k



By the way, the Atoma wouldn't be for my knife but just to flatten my stones. About the Choser


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## Grunt173 (Oct 20, 2018)

Tid bit : My Shapton pro 5 k is the deadest stone I have,wish I had never bought it. Riks 5k has been a good stone right from the start. It is better feeling to me and is more like a 4k which leaves my edges with the right amount of teeth.I have other finishing stones which also cost a bit more money then the Rika but the Rika will get her done and be kinder to your wallet.
Only Shapton Pro's I like and still use are my 320, 1k, and 2k. The 2k being a sweetheart of lineup,just love the feel of this stone and the edge it leaves on my stainless.
As mentioned before,I like my Chosera 400,800 and 3k a lot but they are expensive and mine have developed spider web cracks in a short time of use.Some people do not have this issue with their Chos.
The King Hyper 1k is a fantastic stone.I'd have a hard time parting with it.
Also like my JFK synthetic natural stone for finishing as well but it's expensive,a very worthy stone though.
My newly purchased Arashiyama 6k Takenoko is turning out to be another higher grit stone I enjoy but I find I use it sparingly and when I do,it is with light strokes,more like stropping,just to add a little refinement to the teeth if I want to give my arm a shave.You are supposed to laugh there.
I feel you will need a flattening plate right from the start,some say no but my findings are that some stones have a top layer crust on them or are not completely flat to my liking so I use my Atoma 140 on every new stone,regardless of grit.You'll need to bevel the edges of your stones as well.I flatten my stones before each use, gauging the flatness with a pencil grid and a straight edge .View the scale by holding the stone up and checking for light under the strait edge while blinding yourself with the light bulb.Works every time.
Thanks for letting me ramble.


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## Colonel Mustard (Oct 20, 2018)

Grunt173 said:


> Tid bit : My Shapton pro 5 k is the deadest stone I have,wish I had never bought it. Riks 5k has been a good stone right from the start. It is better feeling to me and is more like a 4k which leaves my edges with the right amount of teeth.I have other finishing stones which also cost a bit more money then the Rika but the Rika will get her done and be kinder to your wallet.
> Only Shapton Pro's I like and still use are my 320, 1k, and 2k. The 2k being a sweetheart of lineup,just love the feel of this stone and the edge it leaves on my stainless.
> As mentioned before,I like my Chosera 400,800 and 3k a lot but they are expensive and mine have developed spider web cracks in a short time of use.Some people do not have this issue with their Chos.
> The King Hyper 1k is a fantastic stone.I'd have a hard time parting with it.
> ...


Thanks for all this. I'm almost all set on what I want to order. I'm thinking of going with a Naniwa Pro 800, Shapton Pro 2000 and Suehiro Rika 5000 even if I may not need it that much, I'm curious and it's not too expensive. The only thing that has me hesitating is this quote about the Naniwa pro 800 on Paul's Finest site:
_This semi-coarse stone is perfect for grinding a new edge on your knife, and for working out nicks or cracks or other imperfections in old used/abused/damaged knives. Use this grade only when you regular maintenance and finishing isn't doing the trick anymore. It's relatively coarse and so will cut (remove metal) more aggressively and quickly than the higher grits often used in beginner stones/kits.
_
Since my knives aren't damaged and I mainly want to be able to get a shaper edge on them would the 800 be too coarse or too agressive to start with?

Any thoughts?
Panda?


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## HRC_64 (Oct 21, 2018)

Choser 800 is a great stone for 1K range tasks.

That paragraph is basically saying use the 2K
as long as you can for touch ups.

The Cho 800 is not too fast or to coarse. 
its finer and has wider usable spectrum
than many 1k stones.

The wide spectrum ability of 800
allows it to be useful for some thinning
if you need it, but thats a feature not
a bug or a flaw.

Just my $0.02


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## panda (Oct 21, 2018)

skip the shapton 2000 completely unnecessary. but rika is fine (this was my very first finishing stone). just remember to soak it for half hour first but do NOT soak the chosera. no it is not too aggressive to start. but the general rule is, if you have the rika always use that first until it no longer gets sharp using just that stone. this is called doing 'touchups'.


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## Colonel Mustard (Oct 26, 2018)

So... I finally decided to jump on Bosco's setup which includes the Jinzo Aoto and 6000 splash n' go from Gesshin. I'm pretty sure it's not ideal to start with these but I had been curious to try Gesshin stones but didn't want to go through the hassle of ordering from the states. I'm pretty happy to have the stone holder, sink bridge and diamond flattening stone as well all in the same bundle. I'm pretty sure I'll need some other stones but that's I good start, I think. For those of you who tried the Jinzo Aoto, would you say it could be a good idea to also have a Naniwa Pro 1000 in this setup or it would be too close to the Jinzo Aoto gritwise? I've been offered the Naniwa for a pretty good price so I've been wondering.

Thanks once again!


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## JBroida (Oct 27, 2018)

Think of the jinzo aoto as a medium grit stone... like a 1k


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## Keith Sinclair (Oct 27, 2018)

I have both of those stones the jinzo aoto use on mono carbons to create mist finish. It is a soaker. You can use it as a stand alone medium stone to practice on.
The Gesshin 6K S&G is very dish resistant it will last a long time. It does not have the feedback that the gesshin soakers or Rika 5K have. It will put a fine edge on your blade.

Use the 4K gesshin soaker at home as a finishing stone on quality stainless & carbons.

Use the 6K S&G at the school on Japanese single bevels it can be soaked even though it is a S&G. Keep it in the same container with Gesshin X-large 400 and Gesshin X-large 1000 perma soaked. Need large stones at the school.


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## Colonel Mustard (Oct 28, 2018)

JBroida said:


> Think of the jinzo aoto as a medium grit stone... like a 1k





Keith Sinclair said:


> I have both of those stones the jinzo aoto use on mono carbons to create mist finish. It is a soaker. You can use it as a stand alone medium stone to practice on.
> The Gesshin 6K S&G is very dish resistant it will last a long time. It does not have the feedback that the gesshin soakers or Rika 5K have. It will put a fine edge on your blade.
> 
> Use the 4K gesshin soaker at home as a finishing stone on quality stainless & carbons.
> ...



Thanks to you both for the feedback. I guess, I'll be starting my sharpening journey with these two stones and see where it leads me. I'm just a bit nervous about wrecking my knives, though. I guess I'll watch JKI's videos a couple more times before starting


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## JBroida (Oct 28, 2018)

Aside from breaking your knife in half or bending it at a 90 degree angle, almost anything you can mess up can be fixed


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## Colonel Mustard (Oct 29, 2018)

JBroida said:


> Aside from breaking your knife in half or bending it at a 90 degree angle, almost anything you can mess up can be fixed



So that's what the problem was... Note to self, do not try to bend a knife at a 90 degree angle, rotate the food instead. :
On a more serious note, thanks for that, it's reassuring to know that I can afford to make some mistakes. I'll probably start a new thread with my sharpening questions once I get the stones.


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## streak (Oct 29, 2018)

Colonel Mustard,
I asked most of these same questions before as well.
You said "I am, indeed, starting to think that I should build my set one stone at a time as I've never sharpened a knife before" same situation I was in having only used the V style ceramic sharpeners before.
In the end I bought a simple Norton Fine/Coarse India stone for $20 grabbed a handful of old kitchen knives and started practicing to see if I had what it takes to free hand sharpen a knife.
I am not quite there yet but getting better and better. Once I think I can be consistent enough I will then start looking at buying some of the excellent products suggested in this thread. You could of course put the $20 for the Norton towards the $60 for the Chosera 800 (or whatever the equivalent in Canada is) and the know that your trial stone will be a highly recommend one.


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