# Stone recommendation for Shun/VG-10/VG-MAX Steel



## AnthonyC (Dec 7, 2017)

Hi all,
New member here. I am interested in stone sharpening my Japanese knives. I have a Tormek I use for chisels, planes, and German knives and it works very well. Given how thin the edge of the Japanese knives are, I didn't think they would be a candidate for the hollow grind of the Tormek.

I have a Shun Classic Chefs/Gyuto, a Shun Edo Usuba, and a Brieto utility/slicing knife (not sure what to call it, it's in between).

Originally I had the Shun steel and stone on my Christmas list until I read here about not steeling the knives and that the Shun stone was way overpriced. So I welcome any suggestions. Not sure what my price point is -- figure commensurate with the knives but I don't mind paying for quality.

Thanks,
Anthony


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## Marcelo Amaral (Dec 7, 2017)

Hi there Anthony! In your place, i would get first a 1k stone and an Atoma 140 diamond plate to flatten your stone. The Atoma is not really necessary, just more convenient. If you are going to sharpen your blades several times a month, i'd get it, but that's just me.

As for the 1k stone:

AI #1000 - the fastest 1k i know. http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/special/syntheticstone.htm 

JNS 1k Matukusuyama - not as fast as AI #1000, but fast enough for me. It doesn't dish too much. http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/jns-1000-matukusuyama/

Happy hunting!


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## ThEoRy (Dec 8, 2017)

How much money do you have and where do you live?


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## Benuser (Dec 8, 2017)

I need a full progression 1-3-8k or so to get rid of a VG-10 burr.


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## AnthonyC (Dec 8, 2017)

Northern Virginia, and probably capped at $100 or so for now.


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## JaVa (Dec 8, 2017)

Shuns VG10 isn't the easiest to work with, but the Sigma Select II works like a charm. I've used 4 brands and the sigma is the most versatile stone of those. Thanks to it's ability to eat up stainless steels all day long. It's designed for difficult PM SS so VG10 is a breeze with it.

There's a 3000 grit stone I have which would work well as a one stop shop. It's aggressive, but feels good and leaves a very nice versatile edge. There's also a 1000/6000 grit combo stone that would work. It comes in a small very affordable size and a full size that's still in your budget.


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## unprofessional_chef (Dec 8, 2017)

I've never found my VG10s and shun VG10 to require any special stones. I've only done light sharpening / touchups with the 3K and 5K chosera and 4K king. I can deburr just fine with both brand stones. My chosera stones tend to produce more bite than the king. IMO 3K is a good balance between too coarse and too fine. The 1K and less grit stones should only be used to repair badly damaged edges or re-profiling the edge and blade.

It's isn't as easy to deburr on the 2K chosera. So that's why you should lean towards the fine grit stones if you're only getting one.


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## JaVa (Dec 8, 2017)

unprofessional_chef said:


> I've never found my VG10s and shun VG10 to require any special stones. I've only done light sharpening / touchups with the 3K and 5K chosera and 4K king. I can deburr just fine with both brand stones. My chosera stones tend to produce more bite than the king. IMO 3K is a good balance between too coarse and too fine. The 1K and less grit stones should only be used to repair badly damaged edges or re-profiling the edge and blade.



So can I and it's fine, but after using the Sigma Select II stones, I'd rather use those every time.


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## AnthonyC (Dec 9, 2017)

Found out those sigma stones are available at my woodworking supply place. After the holidays I will give them a try.

I was thinking of just getting a middle grit since I can do more aggressive repairs with the flat side of my Tormek wheel.

I will keep an eye out for other brands too. I know I've seen King somewhere local. Chosera I have only read about here.

Thanks all.


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## Paraffin (Dec 10, 2017)

JaVa said:


> Shuns VG10 isn't the easiest to work with, but the Sigma Select II works like a charm. I've used 4 brands and the sigma is the most versatile stone of those. Thanks to it's ability to eat up stainless steels all day long. It's designed for difficult PM SS so VG10 is a breeze with it.
> 
> There's a 3000 grit stone I have which would work well as a one stop shop. It's aggressive, but feels good and leaves a very nice versatile edge. There's also a 1000/6000 grit combo stone that would work. It comes in a small very affordable size and a full size that's still in your budget.



I've been using a Gesshin 2k soaker for regular touch-up sharpening (followed by Gesshin 6k). That works great on carbon steels and works _okay_ on the harder stuff like my R2 and HAP40 knives, but it can take a while. It sounds like that Sigma II 3k might speed things up a bit on these harder steels, and would also be good for the few VG10 knives I have.

How soft is that Sigma Select II 3k stone? Do you have to flatten it more frequently than other stones? I've done a little research online and it seems these stones are fast-working but somewhat soft, and might require more attention to flattening. I flatten stones with a diamond plate before a big sharpening session with lots of knives, but I usually skip it if I'm just doing a quick touch-up for a single knife that's getting a little dull.


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## JaVa (Dec 10, 2017)

Paraffin said:


> I've been using a Gesshin 2k soaker for regular touch-up sharpening (followed by Gesshin 6k). That works great on carbon steels and works _okay_ on the harder stuff like my R2 and HAP40 knives, but it can take a while. It sounds like that Sigma II 3k might speed things up a bit on these harder steels, and would also be good for the few VG10 knives I have.
> 
> How soft is that Sigma Select II 3k stone? Do you have to flatten it more frequently than other stones? I've done a little research online and it seems these stones are fast-working but somewhat soft, and might require more attention to flattening. I flatten stones with a diamond plate before a big sharpening session with lots of knives, but I usually skip it if I'm just doing a quick touch-up for a single knife that's getting a little dull.



They're not that soft IMO. I've read that too, but not really a problem. Though I wouldn't call them hard either. I've used the a few Gesshin stones too and they are wonderful, but I don't think there's that much difference in softness. My 1200 and 3000 are definitely much harder then basic Kings. I've got plenty of SS knives in Aus8, VG10, R2, Hap40 and Ginsan (also a variety of carbons). It makes very quick work of the bunch, but still has a nice feel to it. Not Gesshin nice though.

The 3000 leaves a bit of a toothy edge and I sometimes take a couple quick passes on the king 6000 to smooth it out just a touch before stropping. For quick touch ups the Sigma Select 3000 works great just as is. 

I wish there where a 4000 grit stone in the line up. It would be perfect, but the 3000 gets close.
The 6000 Sigma is going to be my next stone. Maybe a Christmas present to self even?


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## PalmRoyale (Dec 10, 2017)

You won't regret buying the 6000. I have it myself (the select II) and it's a wonderful stone. Smooth, very fast, dish resistant, good water management and leaves a great all round edge.


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## Paraffin (Dec 10, 2017)

Thanks for the feedback on the Sigma Select II stones. Looks like this will be a Christmas present to self. The 3k first, then maybe check out the 6k later.


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## Valkyrae (Dec 11, 2017)

Marcelo Amaral said:


> Hi there Anthony! In your place, i would get first a 1k stone and an Atoma 140 diamond plate to flatten your stone. The Atoma is not really necessary, just more convenient. If you are going to sharpen your blades several times a month, i'd get it, but that's just me.
> 
> As for the 1k stone:
> 
> ...



Have you been able to try a King Hyper 1k or a Chosera / Naniwa Pro 1k for comparison? Really curious between those three: AI #1000, King Hyper 1k, and Naniwa Pro 1k


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## Nomsdotcom (Dec 13, 2017)

Paraffin said:


> I've been using a Gesshin 2k soaker for regular touch-up sharpening (followed by Gesshin 6k). That works great on carbon steels and works _okay_ on the harder stuff like my R2 and HAP40 knives, but it can take a while. It sounds like that Sigma II 3k might speed things up a bit on these harder steels, and would also be good for the few VG10 knives I have.
> 
> How soft is that Sigma Select II 3k stone? Do you have to flatten it more frequently than other stones? I've done a little research online and it seems these stones are fast-working but somewhat soft, and might require more attention to flattening. I flatten stones with a diamond plate before a big sharpening session with lots of knives, but I usually skip it if I'm just doing a quick touch-up for a single knife that's getting a little dull.


I've been using the Gesshin 1k/6k combo. Lots of stone for your money, works good enough for SS IMO. Like you said not the best for r2 and harder powdered steels. I have a shun vg10 that reguraly gets this treatment and is as happy as a clam. At least it's not a Global hahaha [emoji6] 


JaVa said:


> Shuns VG10 isn't the easiest to work with, but the Sigma Select II works like a charm. I've used 4 brands and the sigma is the most versatile stone of those. Thanks to it's ability to eat up stainless steels all day long. It's designed for difficult PM SS so VG10 is a breeze with it.
> 
> There's a 3000 grit stone I have which would work well as a one stop shop. It's aggressive, but feels good and leaves a very nice versatile edge. There's also a 1000/6000 grit combo stone that would work. It comes in a small very affordable size and a full size that's still in your budget.


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## galvaude (Dec 13, 2017)

I like the edge left by the Naniwa Pro 1k the most on these type of stainless knives. It is quite finer than 1k (almost twice as fine as a king 1k) yet very toothy. Get a good 1k stone and something to flatten.


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