# Replacement for Naniwa Professional #1000



## NotThinEnough (Nov 24, 2015)

Hello all, 

I am searching for an upgrade from my go-to medium grit stone which is currently naniwa professional #1000 stone (chosera) for most stainless steel knives I have. Preferably splash-and-go but not necessary. 


Any recommendations? If so, what makes you recommend it over the chosera 1k? 

Thank you in advance all!


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## ThEoRy (Nov 24, 2015)

How much money you got?


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## NotThinEnough (Nov 24, 2015)

Depends. but say $150 and under. I feel like everyone is going to recommend Gesshin stones or diamond stones haha, not that anythings wrong with them.


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## ThEoRy (Nov 24, 2015)

Welp, if you're going budget get the bester 1200. If you're going deluxe get the Gesshin 1000 XL. I have both and can speak of their quality. They both have great feel, cut fast, give good feedback and won't dish quickly. As for differences, the Gesshin cuts faster and is a gargantuan that will last forever. I think it could last me 10 years or more perhaps.


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## Matus (Nov 25, 2015)

The question also is - do you prefer softer (usually muddy, wear faster, leave smoother finish) or harder (not easy to gauge accidentally, need less flattening last longer) stones?


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## psfred (Nov 25, 2015)

The Chosera is a great stone I've always wanted one but won't spend the money. Hard the believe you can "upgrade" for one of the best stones available.

I suspect you aren't looking for an "upgrade" as much as just a different stone -- nothing out there is going to be a hugely better in cutting efficiency, just some minor differences in feel or final edge. 

A Bester 1200 is a great stone, but I don't think it's any different in use than a Chosera except it's a soaker rather than splash and go. I bought my Bester for woodworking tools, where flat is critical, not just important, and low wear is, for me, the most important need -- having to flatten a stone repeatedly while sharpening is a pain, and for something like a mud binder King, an absolute requirement for plane blades. Turns out the Bester works just as well for knives, but King stones work pretty well too for that application.

As noted, think about what you want in a stone and what you want it to do before you start buying them, otherwise you will end up with enough to build a wall....

Stones are like knives -- we all want to try something else, but bottom line they all work pretty well, and it's the personal preferences that determine what we end up using. 

Peter


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## Benuser (Nov 25, 2015)

You may consider the Naniwa Professional 800. Just a bit faster.


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## NotThinEnough (Nov 25, 2015)

Well naniwa professional 1k is not a very hard stone in my opinion. And I would like to try harder stones. I think what Pete said is rather insightful. I guess I was getting a bit bored of the stones I have. I think I will try the Bester 1200. If there are other strong contenders I'm all ears; I want to thank you all for the inputs and insights.


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## Matus (Nov 26, 2015)

Consider the Gesshin 2000. Hard and very fast with minimal wear. I go form Gesshin 400 (or JN300) directly to 2000. But you need to soak it.


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## Yamabushi (Nov 26, 2015)

For harder splash-n-go how about the Shapton Pro #1000? Cuts fast, very slow to dish, mine continues to serve me very well some many years later!


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## NotThinEnough (Nov 27, 2015)

not a big fan of shapton stones just because of the way they feel. I am familiar with their low grit stones and though I admit they are effective, i find them not enjoyable for the time I use them.


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## Yamabushi (Nov 28, 2015)

Agreed that the Shapton's probably don't offer the most feedback or best feel, and I'd even go so far as to say they punish poor sharpening technique. That being said, they definitely reward good technique with fast cutting and minimal dishing. That in addition, to their splash-n-go capability is what keeps me on Shapton's long after they've fallen out of vogue. YMMV.


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## NotThinEnough (Nov 28, 2015)

well i suppose the shapton I used was quite amazing at doing what it did - removing metal quickly.


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