# Stone Recommendations for a Novice



## AT5760 (Jan 3, 2019)

Hi:

I am new to the forums and to Japanese kitchen knives. I recently purchased a Tanaka Blue 2 240mm Gyuto and that is my primary reason for looking to purchase stones. However, I also have several Henckels and Wusthof knives. If I can use the same stones to sharpen those as well, that is a bonus.

LOCATION
What country are you in?

U.S.

STONE TYPE
What type of stone are you interested in:
Synthetic or Natural?

No preference

Splash and go or soaker?

No preference. I have plenty of space to store/soak.

What grit range are you looking for?

Open to suggestions. I am mainly interested in keeping a good edge on my knives. If any real chips develop, or anything needs thinning, I will probably send it to a professional.

What stone are you replacing if any?

None

What stones do you currently use in your lineup?

I have a cheap, small two-sided stone that I use for pocket knifes and tools (likely ~400/1000)

What is your absolute maximum budget for your stone?

I'm looking to stay on the lower end. As I get more comfortable, and if (or when) I start adding knives, I will be open to purchasing higher-end stones.

STONE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?

Home

What type of knives will you be sharpening? (Traditional Japanese: yanagi, usuba, deba or Western style gyuto, petty etc)

Gyuto, possibly various German-made kitchen knives (paring, chef, filet)

What type of steel will you be sharpening?

Blue 2/whatever stainless that Wusthof/Henckels use

STONE MAINTENANCE
Do you use or have a flattening plate (Yes or no.)

No

If not, are you interested in learning how to flatten your stone? (Yes or no.)

Yes

SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS:


----------



## Interapid101 (Jan 3, 2019)

This stone set:

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.co...s-and-combo-stones/products/gesshin-stone-set

This flattening plate, or an Atoma (I would get a 400, but many would recommend a 140):

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.co...accessories/products/diamond-flattening-plate

Stone bridge:

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/sharpening-accessories/products/stone-holder-1

Stone holder:

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.co...ing-accessories/products/large-stone-holder-1

Pan and lid for permasoaking and for setting up the sink bridge:

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/full-size-clear-polycarbonate-food-pan-4-deep/700PLPA8004.html

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ca...-clear-polycarbonate-griplid/21410CWGLCL.html

This is a significant initial investment, but it's cheaper than one nice natural stone. You will not grow out of this setup.


----------



## daveb (Jan 3, 2019)

Above is an excellent set, I've got them all. Also have the G4K - my normal finishing stone for gyuto or a prelude to Jnat. As mentioned you won't ever grow out of it and there's no disadvantage in starting with the best.

More budget friendly alternatives include the Bestor 1200 and Rika 5K or the Sharpton 320, 1K 2K (100ish on Amazon)


----------



## Marcelo Amaral (Jan 3, 2019)

It sounds like you should try synthetic stones first as they are in general cheaper and faster.

If i had to start over again, i would start with:
JNS 300 http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/jns-300-matukusuyama/
140 Atoma plate: http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/atoma-140-diamond-plate/
JKI 4000: https://www.japaneseknifeimports.co...ing-supplies/products/gesshin-4000-grit-stone

JNS 300 is good to set a bevel on your Henckels and Wusthof blades
JKI 4000 would be nice for Tanaka Blue 2 and to deburr your Henckels/Wusthofs

You don't need an atoma plate as you can flatten your stones using other ways, so you could skip it. I loved replacing a stone fixer for an atoma.

With JNS300 and an atoma plate shipping should be free, so no problems there.

If you think the jump from 300 to 4k is too much for you (deburring on 4k or setting your Tanaka's bevel through a 4k stone, you could also get a 1k-2k stone).

Good luck!


----------



## Kai Wang (Jan 3, 2019)

AT5760 said:


> Hi:
> 
> I am new to the forums and to Japanese kitchen knives. I recently purchased a Tanaka Blue 2 240mm Gyuto and that is my primary reason for looking to purchase stones. However, I also have several Henckels and Wusthof knives. If I can use the same stones to sharpen those as well, that is a bonus.
> 
> ...



sharpening stone: shapton glass #500
shapton kuromaku 2k and & 8k
Flattening plate: atoma 140

Leaning: 
https://www.youtube.com/user/JKnifeImports


----------



## Xenif (Jan 3, 2019)

+1 on the Sharpton Pro 1K and 2k, that would be a good stone for your German stainless stuff. Your Tanaka B2 can take a finer edge than that, but works well finished on the SP2K.

Many people here have Tanaka B2s, what progression for this steel/heat treat do you guys like the best? 

For me, I set the edge on the SP1K, then Tamba Aoto (coarser, 2k-ish), finished on Okudo Suita. I find this set up gives me a very aggressive edge that last quite a long time.


----------



## Matus (Jan 3, 2019)

If you are on a budget, than I wiukd get a Shapton Pro 1k and then maybe Rika or Shapton 5k. The 1k is actually about as fast if not faster than JNS300. You will only need a coarser stone than the Shapton Pro 1k if you need to do a larger repair, in that case get a Bester 220 or similar.

Edit: only start thinking of natural stones once you will get enough experience with synthetic stones.


----------



## AT5760 (Jan 8, 2019)

Thanks for the suggestions. From what I've gathered here, and on some of the other threads, the Shapton Pro 1K is well-liked and would be a good maintenance stone. Then something in the 200-400 range for repairs? For finishing something in the 4-5k range? I am inclined to start with two stones, 1k and higher, and then buy a rough when needed. My knives get regular use at home, but I treat them pretty well.


----------



## Elliot (Jan 8, 2019)

Some rather great advice so far. 
I started with a Chosera 800 and Chosera 3k. Both can be purchased off Amazon with a base. It was a great kick off before I went nuts on naturals.


----------



## Maccne0718 (Jan 8, 2019)

For simple sharpening on not completely dull knives, I started with a Chosera 1k and Suehiro rika 5k, which worked well. Eventually got a rougher shapton glass 500 and an atoma flattening plate.


----------



## Interapid101 (Jan 8, 2019)

Since you are on a budget, I'd limit your purchase to one stone, a flattening plate, and a setup to use them. It's so tempting to neglect the "small stuff," but IMO a stone holder is a necessity. Sink bridge and soaking tub are (very) nice-to-haves.

In time you can collect more stones, but for now you can maximize the ergonomics and effectiveness of a 1k.


----------



## AT5760 (Jan 8, 2019)

Interapid101 said:


> Since you are on a budget, I'd limit your purchase to one stone, a flattening plate, and a setup to use them. It's so tempting to neglect the "small stuff," but IMO a stone holder is a necessity. Sink bridge and soaking tub are (very) nice-to-haves.
> 
> In time you can collect more stones, but for now you can maximize the ergonomics and effectiveness of a 1k.




I like that idea a lot. I need to work on my sharpening fundamentals far more than I need to try and get a very fine edge on any of my knives.


----------



## Grunt173 (Jan 8, 2019)

And a wet micro cloth towel laid over a piece of pine 2x4 makes a great stone holder and a length of 2x4 that fits across your sink with two smaller 2x4's screwed into place to lock it in also make a very good sink bridge.There,now you can get two stones.Lot a ways to skin a cat.I can't believe I said that.Look at my avatar.


----------



## Knived (Jan 8, 2019)

I have too many synthetic whetstone laying around my house and obviously I did try more than half of Japanese synthetic whetstone available out there. For all around sharpening for beginners and novice from other Japanese chef knife forum member, I usually recommend chosera 400, shapton kuromakuru 1000, arashiyama 6000. 
Those are proven to be best choices for other forum members(20k members still counting...)
I did start making those list for who want to learn sharpening and there is more than 2000 members very satisfied with that whetstone combination.


----------



## Grunt173 (Jan 8, 2019)

And then we have the Bester 1200 and the Rika 5k which also filled the ranks of best buys when I started sharpening and needed suggestions.


----------



## AT5760 (Feb 20, 2019)

Update: Got my SP1K and spent some time with my Tanaka B2 on it a couple weeks ago. Life has been crazy and the kids have been sick, so I haven’t been had much chance to use it since. 

Today I killed some shallots and saw some improvement from the OOTB finish. Then while drying it after cleaning, I barely nicked my fingertip on the heel. Lots of blood, no pain. Guess it’s decently sharp.


----------



## Foltest (Mar 8, 2019)

bester 1K and rika 5K. They both have superb feedback, which should be your number one issue when you learn how to sharpen.


----------



## Marcelo Amaral (Mar 9, 2019)

Matus said:


> If you are on a budget, than I wiukd get a Shapton Pro 1k and then maybe Rika or Shapton 5k. The 1k is actually about as fast if not faster than JNS300. You will only need a coarser stone than the Shapton Pro 1k if you need to do a larger repair, in that case get a Bester 220 or similar.
> 
> Edit: only start thinking of natural stones once you will get enough experience with synthetic stones.



Just a reminder: JNS300 would not be my main stone for thinning as it might not be among the fastest, but i really like it to set the bevel on stainless or to do minor repair work. It takes about a minute to reset the bevel on a big Harner cpm154. It also dishes slowly (as King Deluxe 300 also does) and it is splah and go. Works well for crappy stainless too.

If your goal is to get the fastest stone and money is not the main concern, i would also suggest JKI's 1K diamond, it is probably the best i've seen for really hard to sharpen carbon steels. https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/sharpening-supplies/products/diamond-1000-stone-kit

@Matus: just ordered a Shapton Pro 1k to compare it with JNS300, your comment raised curiosity on my part regarding this stone.


----------



## Matus (Mar 9, 2019)

@Marcelo Amaral the JNS300 is indeed not the right stone for heavy thinning, but its slow wear makes it a nice stone for a little mor critical work (fixing a shinogi line and such) I am curious about your opinion on the SP1k


----------



## PalmRoyale (Mar 9, 2019)

Most people here balk at it for sharpening knives but I would seriously consider an Atoma 1200 for your Henckels and Wusthofs. Finish with very light trailing strokes and you will have a nice aggressive edge that will slice through anything.


----------

