# Which Naniwa stones do I want?



## andur (Nov 15, 2017)

Currently my go-to setup is a 1k, 5k and 12k Shapton Professional. However I'd like to get a similar set of Naniwas (they have a different feel). I've already got the Naniwa green 10k Super Stone which I also enjoy as a fine finisher. What Naniwa grits would be a good set for regular gyuto/petty maintenance and the odd single bevel? As I said I've got the 10k so I'm thinking two more stones: maybe in the range of 1k and 5k? Or how do the Naniwa grits go compared to the Shaptons?


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## StonedEdge (Nov 15, 2017)

Maybe like a 2K and a 6K? Do you need a coarse stone at all?


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## andur (Nov 15, 2017)

The Shapton pro 1k will raise a burr in under a minute so that's what I usually consider a coarse stone. For chips and fixes of course I go coarser (diamonds and Shapton glass). Is the 2k soft at all? I had a 400 Naniwa years ago and wore it out in no time, very soft and dishy. Maybe my sharpening is better now (less wear on stones).


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## StonedEdge (Nov 15, 2017)

Not too much experience with the 2K but it seems to get high praise from long time users. I own the 1K version and its very hard and barely dishes. Love it.


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## K813zra (Nov 15, 2017)

Your shapton stones, particularly the 1k which is more like a 700/800, will be effectively coarser than the Naniwa stones. A fair bit more so than the Chosera stones and significantly more so than the Super stones. Based on what you have and if you want the functionality to be similar I might go with the 800 and 3000 grit naniwa stones. My experience with those particular grits is only with the chosera stones though. Hard(ish), fairly fast and good feedback.


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## HRC_64 (Nov 15, 2017)

The 800 chosera is very good 
and not crazy expensive

It is triple digits per each, tho
starting from the 3000


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## andur (Nov 16, 2017)

The 10 000 I have is the Super Stone I think now referred to as Sharpening Stone? The professional is also known as the Chosera? This is getting confusing. 
Does anyone also know the official grit rating in microns for the Naniwas? Tried to google but there are different opinions and data available, also seems that grits might vary between the series? Love the glass in this instance, very easy since microns are printed on the stone.


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## galvaude (Nov 16, 2017)

Talking microns with the Super Stones get even more confusing because as you use the stones the surface glaze and the abrasive dulls giving a finer and finer finish as you go. Super Stones were my first set (400-1000-5000), I never really liked them for knives, they are great for razors. For knives I was constantly resurfacing the stone because I always lost teeth and bite if i continued on a glazed stone. The Naniwa Pro are a bit finer than their actual grit but not as much as the SS, they dont glaze much either.

For exemple my SS 5k gives a finer finish than my Naniwa Traditional 8k and my SS 1k was almost twice as fine as my King 1200 and a fair bit finer than my Naniwa Pro 1k, when glazed almost as fine as a Rika 5k.


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## Benuser (Nov 16, 2017)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VaTf3MXuwuvH-QLwOci4f9B9Zhkbuu1wjoSCZIUsR-o/htmlview


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## Benuser (Nov 16, 2017)

The Naniwa Pro AKA Chosera are hard, fast, offer a great tactile feedback. Avoid the 5k though, soft, no feedback, no idea whether you're done or not, very expensive. The Naniwa Junpaku 8k is a good alternative. My preferred one is the 2k: starts aggressively, leaves a 3k smooth finish. After that, the real 3k only for stropping and deburring is all you need with double-bevelled blades in Western kitchen.


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## K813zra (Nov 16, 2017)

andur said:


> The 10 000 I have is the Super Stone I think now referred to as Sharpening Stone? The professional is also known as the Chosera? This is getting confusing.
> Does anyone also know the official grit rating in microns for the Naniwas? Tried to google but there are different opinions and data available, also seems that grits might vary between the series? Love the glass in this instance, very easy since microns are printed on the stone.



Yes those are the Super stones and choseras with new names. There are also the "specialty stones" which are thinner than the super stones but otherwise the same. Naniwa makes a load of other stones too. 

I agree with the others. Micron rating is only one side of the story. Binder type, abrasive, hardness, porosity, how the stone loads etc all change how the stone will finish. 

IMO the Chosera/Pro stones simply are better stones than the Super/Sharpening stones, in every way. I used the 400-800-3000 and SW8k for a very long time. I don't take my blades that high these days.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Nov 16, 2017)

The graphs in one of the Naniwa catalogs explains give a hint about the differences between the SS and Chosera/Pro series: SS is optimized to have all the grit in a very tight tolerance band, with all the effects this brings along....


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