Are Norton Waterstones any good?

[Sid Post]

I am looking for something to maintain the edges on my Japanese Kitchen knives. It seems like waterstones are the best choice so, I went to Norton Abrasives first to see what they had. I am specifically looking at their 4000 and 8000 grit waterstones. How do they compare to other brands? Are they a good relative value? What is your experience with them?

Also, if you have recommendations for an alternative, please let me know.

THANKS!

 

[Darren Ellis]

Hi Sid,

I only use Nortons for honing straight razors, they are the best and most consistent that I've found. Here's a link to a place with good customer service and the best price that I've found on the 4000/8000 Norton combination waterstone:

http://www.thebestthings.com/newtools/norton.htm


Hope this helps.

-Darren

 

[itrade]

Sid,

I wish I could help you directly, but I've no experience with the Norton stones. I do have 4 Shapton professional stones. The 320, 1000, & 2000 are very nice stones. You can check them out here:

http://www.shaptonstones.com/

Steve

 

[etp777]

I've used varoius stones from Norton Abrasives for years and always been very happy with the stones(haven't always been happy with what I did to my knives with the stones due to my lack of skill at sharpening freehand.