Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone Medium Grit #1000

I just ordered this. I'll see how it works out. Thanks.

Shapton Pro

Grab a 1000 and 5000 grit at the least. They’re about $40 a pop. I’d also grab a 320 for repair work.

Or perhaps a single higher quality stone is a better way to go. I did this but also got a 400 diamond to make quicker work of some really dull knives that i had. I am not sure you need to go above 1000 grit on a german steel anyway.

These are pretty highly thought of around here for the budget:.

Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone Medium Grit #1000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_usSXEb1MNEBFC.

What's your expectation here? If $30 is a lot for a knife you're going to be surprised when you find that even the cheapest honing rod with decent reviews on amazon is going to be around $10, or 1/3rd the price of your knife. So now your $30 knife is $40.

Again with this "a hone is needed". It isn't. At no point did I even remotely imply a hone was necessary. What IS important is that you have some way to maintain your knife or the expectation that you will eventually be paying someone else to maintain it for you, less you end up with a big butter knife which would waste your entire investment anyways.

Ideally you would be buying a decent whetstone and learning how to use, something in the $30-40 range like this one. But you do you.

If you haven't gotten it sharpened since you bought it, that might be a greater benefit than a new knife. All knives, even expensive knives, need to be sharpened after some time. You can probably get it sharpened at the butcher counter at your grocery store.

If you want to sharpen it yourself, you can get a whetstone off Amazon for $20-30. King makes good ones. I have a 1000/3000 stone, but it's pretty small and the quality is not great. I've been trying to justify buying this guy.

It's like 42 for a single 1k https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=shapton+kuromaku&qid=1596157808&sr=8-2 there are 2 formulations this one is Japanese, the American formulations are usually around 75 each, I guess since the climate here is dryer in a lot of places they had problems with the stones cracking in the USA, I'm in Tennessee and our climate is pretty similar to Japan and I take care not to like leave them in a hot car or anything so I have not had a problem with the Japanese formulation. If you are sharpening chisels you will have to flatten your king stone often while you are sharpening because it will want to cup quickly. With kitchen knives you don't really care so much because you can more easily use the whole stone and kind of flatten the high spots with the knife as you go. But for a chisel, I would care more about having a hard stone, so you don't have to worry about cupping as much but with any stone and a chisel you will have to flatten them regularly. Also the shapton stone is a "splash and go" stone so you just get it wet and it's ready, the king stones are soakers, so you need to soak them for 20 Min or so prior to use. But they aren't "perma soak" so if you soak them too long it makes the binder weak and they get softer. I have heard good things about the cerax stones but really for your budget I would be looking at wet dry sandpaper mounted on glass plates, they will stay flat and are cheap and replaceable. I will say though that the king 6k is nice and hard, it will last way longer than the king 1k

As you are included, go for a whetstone then. It's the best place to be. A Shapton Pro 1000 grit is a good starting point.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPFT0G

The case servers as a cheep stone holder.

The strop will clean off the "teeth" and polish the edge. You can also strop on a whetstone, or even a piece of cardboard or denim. Google this.

It's a worthwhile journey. Make sharp stuff!😃

Exactly. All. This. Exactly.

The longer answer is that the stone you need somewhat depends on the knife you plan to sharpen but the Shapton kuromaku 1000 grit splash and go stone will sharpen almost any knife quickly and without needing any special soaking or drying treatment and it doesn't need flattening often and it isn't so soft that you'll dig into it.

It's a great first stone. I wish it had been my first stone. It was my 7th or 8th stone. I have diamond. I have oil stones... I've used sand paper... I really wish I had known about the shapton and bought it first.

https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G

Is this the same? Doesn't have "pro" in the item name https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G/

Shapton Pro: the 1000 is the most commonly recommended grit, but you could get the 2000 for a more refined finish instead. They’re splash and go; which are convenient, just grab it wet the surface and off you go.

The King KDS 1000/6000 is also well recommended, I have not used one before but it is basically the go to entry level stone around these parts.

Watch the Korin and Japanese knife imports videos on sharpening on YouTube.

What board are you using?

yes that is fine, if you dont want the wood stand, the regular box functions as a stand as well

https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G

Shapton stone, learn to sharpen freehand. Grab a 320 to get that one back in shape, then a 1000 to sharpen it up. You can go higher if you want, but it's really not necessary.

do not get sharp pebble or i will slap you with an eel.

https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G

there's your shapton pro (its japanese name is ha no kuromaku, or knife stone ceramic).

Really good question! I own a 3-stage pull-through sharpener, pretty similar. These things take a lot of flak from knife snobs, but they're not bad. As a general rule, the more stages you add onto a pull-through sharpener, the more refined of an edge you're going to get out of it (similar to adding whetstones). So, multi-stage is good in that respect.

That said, I would say that in my experience pull-through sharpeners usually get you an edge that's somewhere between "okay" and "pretty good". It'll be good enough to get a line cook through a dinner service, certainly. It won't be "OMG sharp". So if you just want to cook efficiently, with a piece of gear with very a very minimal learning curve, pull-through sharpeners are a good choice. They're used in commercial kitchens across the US.

If you're a serious knife hobbyist, or you just want that "holy crap that was a satisfying cut" experience, then you'll need something that has more versatility, and ultimately a higher learning curve.

Final thoughts: Some pull-through sharpeners are remarkably expensive. What you're really paying for is mostly convenience, and partially something that's going to look nice sitting on your kitchen counter. Whetstone sharpening can be very affordable. A Shapton 1000-grit stone (https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G) can be purchased for around $35-50, and with practice you can certainly get great (better than factory) results from it.

Victorinox set

Shapton pro 1k

This is in the wiki and many guides on this site, but the mods often recommend https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G as the best bang for your buck stone, aka SHAPTON 1000

Yeah. Ofcourse. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_.nLKEb1CTWR7S

The most often recommended is the Shapton Pro 1000. It’s a good stone to learn on because it cuts quickly enough that a new sharpener can get a good edge with it but not so fast that you can do a lot of damage too quickly:

https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G/

What knife did you get?

Oh hmmm, turns out I actually spent about $40 for mine, sorry.

I got this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TPFT0G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

When I was looking into a stone and doing research it seemed that a lot of the 2-in-1 stones were much poorer quality and tended to crack/break, so I decided not to get one of those.

I would like to get a finer grit stone if I had more money but this one gets it plenty sharp. Not sharp enough to cut through paper like other people's posts I have seen but definitely sharp enough to slice through whatever I'm making much more easily.

Still not seeing your links to sharpening stones. I had trouble with the auto mod in the beginning, too. Drove me crazy since my links were not affiliate links.

I can tell you after your comment, "I'll see if I can find my stones on the US Amazon in a few hours when I get off work." and then my "Thx" reply, there is the infamous auto mod message, "Comment removed by moderator" followed by, "Your comment or submission contains one or more Amazon affiliate links.", which it probably doesn't.

I finally figured out I had to abbreviate the links, cutting them off when the letters/numbers were all in caps, like at the end of this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TPFT0G. If I copy and paste the link as is, there are a bunch of letters/numbers/symbols that follow and auto mod removes my post.

Hope that helps. You certainly have helped me.

It's a cheap Chinese made stone. It can work but your better off getting something quality.

If you can stretch your budget a few more dollars you should definitely get this instead.

https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G/

Or one of these if you want to spend a little less https://www.amazon.com/KING-Grain-Sharpening-Stone-Medium/dp/B0016VC46A/

The first whetstone I got was a cheap one around $20 on Amazon, 1000/3000 grit dual sided. It worked just fine, but wasn't anything special. If I was really careful with it I could even get a bit of a mirror finish on the 3000 grit. It was sold under the name "Taidea". Works well and I don't mind using it to this day on cheaper knives or knives that only need a rough edge to get going. It feels sticky and doesn't cut as fast, and it's hard to clean the buildup out of it, but it can definitely work well enough.

That being said, it's a lottery. The lower grits might be usable more often, but I bought another stone in the same price range that's absolutely terrible, and it's rated as being 3000/8000 grit. It cuts more like a really bad 400 grit, or worse. Maybe even works like a flat rock, if not worse.

I eventually upgraded to a set of barely used, like new Nortons and it's a huge difference. Cut faster, they just feel super smooth the whole time, and you can really get a mirror finish and an edge that, when you use it, feels like you're cutting through air. If I had to pick nowadays, I would just save and dish out a few extra bucks to get a vetted general stone, like a King KDS, or, I'd personally start with a 1000-1500 grit Shapton pro and save up more to get at least one more stone (5000 grit first maybe, 8000 grit after, 2000 to use in between or on knives you want with a polish but not too slippery) later. They aren't that expensive for how much better they are, all things considered. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPFT0G/

So, in short, a cheap stone might be pretty good, or it might be very bad. I'd recommend just getting a good brand to remove the chance you end up spending the same amount of money or more in the long run to get something good. I got lucky with my first stone, but I think that's rare so far.

There are skills I need to work on, but I've never done the crazy knife damaging things you mentioned.

Sharpening Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone Medium Grit #1000 This https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G

Im nervous about sharpening too. Not so much about sharpening as, making sure it has that same consistency through the blade. make sense? I guess I'll have to get over that too. Thats been another one of those "Im going to fk it up! nooo" kind of things also.

This knife didn't feel insanely out of the box sharp. Someone told me on some other forums, that it is common for some makers to leave the stone at a 70% sharpness, to leave it up to the customer since everyone likes it different.

Any truth in that?

https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G

https://www.korin.com/HTO-MOGY-210

https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G

Oh damn lol I actually have one of those

KitchenIQ 50009 Edge Grip 2-Stage Knife Sharpener, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CQTLJM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xi3bFbHH4AY4W

I bought this recently

Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone Medium Grit #1000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.i3bFb5QK6Z7X

I bought it for my kitchen knife but I’m assuming this would also work for my KABAR?

Knives + board + stone for an amateur at home

My background is that I'm a complete amateur. Reading the wiki and other peoples' questions half of it goes over my head. I don't know which type of knife I should be using for what and what cutting technique and so on. All I know is I've been using this 9$ kitchen knife set and I want to improve my kitchen experience.

My idea is to get a few relatively budget knives, a good board and a good sharpening stone that I'll be able to carry over to better knives. Then when I know what I'm about I can go for something more expensive.

And now the questionnaire:

Style? - No preference although I assume Japanese budget options are unlikely
Steel? - No preference, the various numbers are very confusing (whats the difference between X50CrMoV15 and X55CrMo14 etc...?)
Handle? - No preference but again I assume western is lower budget.
Grip? handle
Length? One chef knife (8-10?), one smaller so I assume either a petty or paring but could use some advice on that, and one bread knife (we tend to enjoy getting harder breads on occasion and cutting them is always a pain)
Purpose? Home, Everything but less meats and more veggies usually, though I'd like to have the option
Care? I'd like to get a whetstone too. I'm a newbie though.
Budget? Prefer around 100-150$ for the three knives and then whatever is a sensible option for a whetstone and board. I've seen stones go for around 50$ but I have no idea about the board.

From reading other posts and looking through the wiki I have the following items in mind:

Victorinox Fibrox This seems like the recommended budget knife and should be a good start for me to make mistakes on with my sharpening without feeling too bad about it.

Shapton 1k I've seen this stone recommended. Is it good for a beginner? Side note could I try to sharpen that 9$ set I mentioned above or would that be a disaster?

I'm still missing a bread knife, a paring or petty knife (whichever is better as general purpose) and a cutting board.

Sorry if you've heard these questions a million times (I'm definitely a Sue Smith in this r/chefcars car meetup) Am I on the right track?

Some other questions:

For a chef knife what difference is the 8" vs 10" aside from the obvious length. Is one better suited for a certain task vs another?

Care: Other than sharpening is there anything else a complete newbie needs to know to treat their knives well?

I have a few more questions that probably aren't relevant for my budget so I guess I'll leave that to another post down the line.

Thank you all

I currently have some wusthof classic ikon's (chefs, utility, classic, etc) that I have used probably about 20 times, and are starting to show. I grew up working resturant prep and only used the sterotypical honing rod technique on knives.

I want to do it right. Can someone give me a confirm that I'm on the right path for the above knives and method?

• Knives: Classic Ikon 4506/4596 and one random brand santoku

• Stone: Buying this link, is this all I need? https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Shapton+1000&qid=1591895823&sr=8-1

• Method: What this playlists says? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEBF55079F53216AB

Also, what is the use to sharenening interval? I know use can be very broad so is it by cutting power/feel?

Lastly, When I use these knives, I have been using dish soak and hot water to clean, then immediately drying, all by hand/paper towel. I have a feeling this might not be correct, so please inform. Thanks!

Lol so you think this glass shapton one https://www.amazon.com/Shapton-Glass-Stone-1000-Grit/dp/B0034YT47E/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=shapton+pro+1k+glass&qid=1606839417&s=hi&sr=1-4

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better than this ceramic shapton https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=shapton+pro+1k&qid=1606839452&s=hi&sr=1-1

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Im so lost LOL

For $220, I'd say get two Fujiwara FKMs and a bread knife to go with it:

You won't need the 3" Paring and 5" Santoku.

If you get a 120mm petty and a 210mm gyuto from the Fujiwara FKM line, it'd be $137 shipping included.

For a bread knife, I'd say this is a good option.

It all comes out to $182, you could go cheaper on the bread knife but I'd stick to the well recommended items.

The reason you should pay slightly more for less knives is they are definitely better quality, and Wusthof's manufacturing quality has been dropping lately as there have been a large number of complaints on this sub about them. It will also save you space as you won't have knives that are redundant.

If you are willing to learn to sharpen and spend a little more, I'd recommend this stone to keep your knives in good condition, a pull-through sharpener or honing will damage the knife.

Between those two options, the DMT looks like the better choice. It's also worth considering getting just a Shapton Kuromaku/Pro 1000, it's quick enough to be able to handle really dull blades, the box it comes in can function as a stone holder and it's splash and go making it convenient to use.

Anyway, the main reason the major brands keep being recommended is because they are a known factor. That KnifePlanet set looks like any of the other cheap Chinese whetstones. They'll get the job done (you can sharpen your knife on a cinder block if you want), but they're likely to make sharpening a knife a real ordeal.

Maybe try this instead: https://www.amazon.com/KING-1000-Grit-Combination-Waterstone/dp/B0000Y7LAS/ref=sr_1_16?dchild=1&keywords=King+whetstone&qid=1589569626&sr=8-16

or this: https://www.amazon.com/Suehiro-CERAX-CR-2800-Combination-sharpening/dp/B0176BZPBY/ref=sr_1_26?dchild=1&keywords=suehiro&qid=1589569302&sr=8-26