# Whetstone advice



## evilgawd (Aug 14, 2016)

Hi 

Just bought my first quality hand made Japanese knife and want to get some whetstone to go with it. Right now i have 250 & 1000 for my german knifes. 
Dude who sold me the blade recommended I get 2 stones , one around 3000 and one around 6-8000 . 

I want a splash and go stones , so i was looking at the shapton professional 2000 + 5000 . Think that's a good match ? 

Knife in question is made of ginsan steel 

Much appreciated


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## James (Aug 14, 2016)

I'd skip the 3k and go directly frim 1k to 5k. Personally, I use the bester 1200 and polish up on the suehiro rika 5k.


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## daveb (Aug 14, 2016)

Both JKI and JNS offer a 6K S&G that is a nice finisher for most knives. And they both offer a synthetic Aoto that finish a gyuto or chef's knife and leave it ready for work. I've a few Ginsinko knives and the aoto is my preferred finisher now. Assuming your happy with your 1K you would not need a bridge stone.

That said the Bestor 1.2 and Suehiro 5K mentioned above have been paired forever and make a nice combination.

I'm not a fan off Sharpton but they work well for many.


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## evilgawd (Aug 14, 2016)

I should of specified , im not too happy about my 250/1000 combo stone , got it as a gift ( Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Stone Pro Sharpening Stone ) 

Ill look into those . Wonder why the vendor was recommending 3000 and 6000 and recommended to not touch it with 1000 ...

Out of curiosity, why dont you like the shapton ?


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## brianh (Aug 14, 2016)

In my limited stone experience I find the Gesshin 6k S&G to feel much better than the Rika 5k.


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## mc2442 (Aug 14, 2016)

I would second the bestor? 1200 and rika 5k for a newbie. I still default to these, though I am trying others. Cris Anderson has an interesting stone, just not enough use to evaluate it yet. Good on the first try. Limited to his buyers for now.


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## evilgawd (Aug 14, 2016)

Im in Canananada and I want to avoid ordering from the states ( customs + exchange rate just kills it ) 

Seems the Gesshin is not available up here. 

For the suehiro rika , seem you need to soak 5-10 min prior to use , is this right ? I want to avoid soaking


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## daveb (Aug 14, 2016)

Most S&G will benefit from a quick dunk. I'll get stone(s) wet and then gather my sharpening "stuff". By the the time I have the stone holder, towels, spray bottle, sharpie, knives all out the stone is ready. If your wallet can stand it, most natural finishers are truly "get it wet and get it done".

BTW I've used the Henckels combo stone at a culinary store. It be suck. If you're looking to replace it the Bestor 1.2K is a definite soaker. JKI and JNS both have solid S&G in this range. The JKI 1/6K would be a viable solution for you though the impact from shipping/duties will have to be considered.



evilgawd said:


> Out of curiosity, why dont you like the shapton ?



Stones are as subjective as anything else in the knife world, it's kind of a Ford or Dodge question. While I'm not a fan of Sharpton (or Chosera and you couldn't give me a King (except the 800)), they all have their fans. 

Tosho is a supporting vendor here and is based in Canada. If JKI and JNS are cost prohibitive suggest you peruse their offerings.

We have several Canadian members here, they'll be along shortly.


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## aboynamedsuita (Aug 14, 2016)

Canadian here, where in the country are you located?

Another factor to consider is whether shipping is free or local pickup is available stones are heavy.

If you are in the TO area Tosho is nearby; Lee Valley has some options if you have one near you, or can get during their free shipping events. I got my Naniwa Choseras (before they were replaced with the "Professional" series) from Paul's finest, shipping was reasonable for the weight and I was only charged 5% GST, so like an 8% discount due to no PST. This was a few years ago, so not sure if that is still the case. 

Something like a 1k and ~5k sounds like a good start, you could use the 250 on your current stone if heavier work is needed I suppose (I have that stone too, gonna give to the folks for their mediocre knives).


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## foody518 (Aug 14, 2016)

Knifewear has a decent array of Naniwa stone options.


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## Benuser (Aug 14, 2016)

With the Naniwa Professional, the 800 and 3k should do. End result comparable to JIS 1200 and 4k.


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## evilgawd (Aug 15, 2016)

Thanks for all the good feedback 

I went and took a look at what i can get and at what price , I wanted to put ~120 USD , so price wise , id go with shapton . Does 2k+5k sounds like a good combo ? I could use my 1k if things really go bad

Shapton professional 2k+5k 
106$ + 27$ shipping = 133 USD 

Chosera 2k+5k 
180$ + 18 $ = 198 USD 

Chosera 1k+3k 
157$ + 27$ = 184 USD 

Thanks !


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## Benuser (Aug 15, 2016)

I'm spoiled by the much lower European prices for the Naniwas, obviously.


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## foody518 (Aug 15, 2016)

Checking Knifewear prices, you could go from Naniwa Pro 1k to that yellow 4k Naniwa for about $120 USD plus shipping. Both pretty much splash and go


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## evilgawd (Aug 15, 2016)

Ok so i may have found other pricing for chosera in canada to compete against shapton 2k+5k for 170 CAD 

( in CAD$) 
1k 65
2k 75
3k 100
5k 135



So if you had to rely solely on those 2 stones only ( having a 250/1000 zwilling in the back if need really be) 
** I do not intend to buy addt stones so have to stick with whatever i go with 

You go chosera or shapton ?
If chosera, which 2 ? 




Again , your input is greatly appreciated !


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## Benuser (Aug 15, 2016)

Forget the Chosera 5k. A bit softer than the others, doesn't offer a lot of feedback. Quite expensive. Doesn't add much after the 3k.


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## foody518 (Aug 15, 2016)

For whatever reason, seems like the grit sizes for Shapton and Naniwa don't totally match up, with the naniwa stones running a bit fine than their specified number. So I wouldn't be too worried about for example matching one brand's 5k with another brand's 5k
this pulled from one of the stickied maintenance & related information threads
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/856708-The-Grand-Unified-Grit-Chart


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## Benuser (Aug 15, 2016)

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/20539-Shapton-vs-Chosera


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## Benuser (Aug 15, 2016)

I should add that the Naniwa Professionals are, if possible, even slightly denser and less prone to dishing than their Chosera predecessors. When used dry, they tend to glaze a bit faster, though.

If you're looking for a very fine stone -- e.g. for ultimate deburring -- the Naniwa Junpaku 8k might to be considered. Behaves like a Chosera, hard, great response. Much more affordable though.


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## evilgawd (Aug 15, 2016)

Wow didnt realize this was an art  

to be very honest , since my experience is limited to the zwilling stone ( which is bad ) , im not sure what i want /need . What I do know is I dont want to destroy my new knife 

Benuser : niniwa pro are pricier , for instance a 1k+3k is over 200 CAD $ , vs 165$ for chosera 
Benuser : thanks for the 8k suggestion ill keep that in mind if i want to get another one, right now i assume i likely need lower grit stone to start 



So your recommendation would be *chosera 1k+ 3k* instead of shapton 2k+5k or even chosera 1k+5k ?


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## Benuser (Aug 15, 2016)

I would suggest the Chosera 800 over the 1k, because it's slightly more versatile. I thinned quite a bit of blades with the Chosera 800 only. But you have already a coarse stone, so that's less relevant to you. Yes, Chosera 1k + 3k makes a great combination.


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## bennyprofane (Aug 15, 2016)

You could also get the JNS 1000 and 6000, JNS has free worldwide shipping and you don't have to pay European tax (VAT) if you order from outside the EU. 

A lot of people prefer the JNS to the Chosera (as do I).

http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/jns-1000-matukusuyama/


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## _PixelNinja (Aug 15, 2016)

bennyprofane said:


> [...] JNS has free worldwide shipping.


*Provided your order exceeds DKK1000 (excluding VAT).


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## bennyprofane (Aug 15, 2016)

Which would be the case if he got the 1000 and 6000. Around DKK1100 or 160$.


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## foody518 (Aug 16, 2016)

Favorable pricing on the Naniwa 4k Hayabusa (the yellow stone) compared to the Chosera 3k. Though, most of the reviews that exist on the line that it's from (Naniwa Gouken) are from the the razor or woodworking guys.


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## _PixelNinja (Aug 16, 2016)

bennyprofane said:


> Which would be the case if he got the 1000 and 6000. Around DKK1100 or 160$.


Indeed. 

Just pointing it out because I know some people have thought the shipping was de facto free and got disappointed when stumbling upon the fine print. No intention to offend.


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## bennyprofane (Aug 16, 2016)

None taken


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## evilgawd (Aug 16, 2016)

@Bennyprofane : interesting enough , those JNS are cheaper to get then Chosera/Naniwa 

First time i hear about this brand , crawled the forum and found a few reviews ( all positive) , from what i gather they compare very well with Chosera , hard and not muddy with a good feedback 

Concerns : would it be hard for a newbie like me to go from 1k to 6k ? 

Price wise im seriously considering going this route , any other feedback on those stone is welcome  

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread !! Much appreciated


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## daveb (Aug 16, 2016)

E,

You can crawl this thread and find the JNS suggested. :cool2:

1K, Synthetic Aoto, 6K are all solid. No problem making the jump from 1K to either.


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## jaknil (Aug 16, 2016)

evilgawd said:


> Concerns : would it be hard for a newbie like me to go from 1k to 6k ?



I would also recommend the JNS stones. I have them myself. 
I is a good option. And you can happily go from the 1k to 6k stone.
I use a stone in between these - because I have one (a few).
If you have a stone in between you can finish faster. If you jump directly to the 6k stone you have to use it a little longer - it is really no problem.
You can easily make this jump. 
The stones are good and hard, but not too hard (difficult) to use, even as a beginner.

There is the bonus that you will end up with a more polished knife, as the 6k is finer grit.
But also in terms of the 6 K stone from JNS leaves a mirror-like finish. 

I have no experience with the other stones discussed in this thread, but I am very happy with the JNS 1+6k stones.


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