# 2k-4K and coarse stone recommendation ??



## expatCanuck (Jul 15, 2012)

Greetings -

New here. Have acquired handful of nice Japanese knives over the past few years,
and sharpen them on these three stones:







From right to left, a Beston 500, a Bester 1000, and the 3000 (I forget the brand).

I like the first two, but am not thrilled with the feel or performance of the 3K, and would welcome
recommendations for a 2-4K stone.

I could also use a coarser stone for repair, and would welcome recommendations on that as well.

Thanks kindly,

- *Richard*


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## expatCanuck (Jul 15, 2012)

Did a search on my Inbox -- the 3000 is a Naniwa SS, which I acquired about 2.5 years ago.


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## Eamon Burke (Jul 15, 2012)

The beston 500 is a common suggestion for a coarse repair stone. What do you not like about it? Would you prefer something harder/less muddy?

Not being an owner of a 3k SS, what is it about the stone that you do not like, feel and performance wise?

Also, what are you sharpening?


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## Dusty (Jul 15, 2012)

Any stone that is coarser than the bester 500 will eat steel very quickly. A diamond plate like the dmt extra extra coarse, or the atoma 140 could be appropriate. Thes can also be used for flattening your stones. 

There are lots if stones to fill the gap that you're trying to fill 2-3k, I use a suehiro rika - nominally 5k - and am very happy with it. 

Both these recommendations are often repeated on this forum.


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## mhlee (Jul 15, 2012)

I love my Gesshin 400 and 2k. The 400 cuts fast, leaves a nice finish for a coarse stone, has very good feedback. The only negative is that it does dish. The 2k is probably my favorite stone that I've tried. It leaves a great, toothy edge, cuts fast, leaves a nice finish on stainless (not so much on single bevel carbon steel knives where the finish is very visible), and has very nice feedback. 

I know Jon has a 4k and an 8k as well.


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## ThEoRy (Jul 15, 2012)

I'd reccomend the Gesshin 400 for a low grit option. Cuts fast and has great feedback. I hear the naniwa choosera 400 is another solid option. I just go from the bester 1200 to the suehiro rika 5k and that works great. No need for a bridge stone there.

I have the 3k superstone and I can say that it feels rubbery, cuts slow and dishes quickly. Me no likey.


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## 99Limited (Jul 16, 2012)

ThEoRy said:


> I have the 3k superstone and I can say that it feels rubbery, cuts slow and dishes quickly. Me no likey.



I agree. Every time I used it I felt like I was trying to sharpen on a big pink eraser.

I have both the Gesshin 2k and 4k. Both are great stones would recommend either one depending on where you wanted to end up with your edge.

Since you already have a 1k stone I think you will be very pleased with the Gesshin 4k.


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## schanop (Jul 16, 2012)

If you have natural stone nagura (on the coarse side), use it to make mud on SS3k. It transform the stone quite a fair bit.


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## richinva (Jul 16, 2012)

I have both the Gesshin 2k and 8k. Easy to go from the 2k to the 8k directly. The 2k leaves a nice toothy edge on stainless, and while I'm not crazy about the feedback, it does a nice job.


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## EdipisReks (Jul 16, 2012)

i use a DMT XC when i need a faster stone than my Beston 500, and it works great.


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## tk59 (Jul 16, 2012)

The Gesshin 400 is my pick for a coarse stone. I don't know that it's going to be a ton faster than the Beston though. It is a much nicer stone to use. I would go with a coarse diamond stone for beyond that. If you have a 1k stone that you like, I would recommend Gesshin 4k. I don't think a 2k or 3k stone will offer as much for your performance as a 4-6k stone. I also like the Rika 5k stone. Personally, I tend to use the Gesshin 5k. It isn't a fast stone but I don't need much done other than a touch of refinement on my ~1k edge.


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## Keith Sinclair (Jul 16, 2012)

I like the Gesshin 2K.It's the stone I use the most.The Bester 1200 & 5K Rika are a good combo as well.


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## JohnyChai (Jul 16, 2012)

EdipisReks said:


> i use a DMT XC when i need a faster stone than my Beston 500, and it works great.




For blade damage and the similar situations? Or do you like the edge it leaves on certain knives more so...?


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## EdipisReks (Jul 16, 2012)

JohnyChai said:


> For blade damage and the similar situations? Or do you like the edge it leaves on certain knives more so...?



this is for taking out chips and doing major blade reworking.


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## JohnyChai (Jul 16, 2012)

EdipisReks said:


> this is for taking out chips and doing major blade reworking.



Figured. Personally, have asked someone with a belt sander in these cases for help, or have used a low grit belt on a flat surface for economic purposes. Makes perfect sense to use the XC though, the smaller ones are fairly inexpensive.


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## Keith Sinclair (Jul 16, 2012)

Also you do not risk heat damage.The XXC DMT works for reprofiling edge,chips,broken tips,the usual stuff that happens fr. lack of knife care.

They do take off steel fast,leave a rough finish,then you remove the scratches wt. a couple stones.I like the Atoma 140 for knife repair & rapid steel removal.


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