Chosera or Shapton Glass Stones for Victorinox Chef Knife

[Walkthewalk111]

I picked up an EdgePro second-hand, but it did not include any stones.

I was thinking of going with either the Chosera in 400 and 1000 or the Shapton Glass in 500 and 2000. I use my Victorinox knives about 90% of the time, so I am looking to get stones that perform well on them. I do have a few carbon steel and VG-10 knives as well, that I would like to sharpen.

Initially, I was set on the Chosera stones but I read that the Shapton Glass work better on high-alloy steels. I know they are both quality stones and a lot of it boils down to feel and preference. Which stones will I be more happy with if I am sharpening mostly softer western knives like Victorinox, Dexter, etc?

 

[Ben Dover]

I prefer Shapton Glass, but those are both excellent stones.

 

[tiguy7]

I like the Shapton Glass but have no experience on the Chosera. I use the Shaptons on ZDP-189 at 67HRC, and they do a beautiful job.

 

[grybsh7]

Get the Shaptons.

 

[Jason B.]

The Shapton 500 and 2000 is a very good stone set that will easily sharpen all the steels you have listed and more. Because the Shaptons are very hard stones you will need a good lapping plate such as the Atoma 140. Lap your stones before use and they will always be flat, last thing you ever want to experience is a severely out of true Shapton... or Chosera/pro stone.

I would recommend getting the Shapton Glass 16k at some point too, it makes a great addition to the 500 and 2k and almost takes away the need for a strop. That said, I prefer to stop at 2k and strop on balsa or leather coated in 1 micron diamond, I feel it's a better finish for "western knives" of softer stainless. I also like the 500 and strop for my EDC blades, nice and toothy.

In my experience the Shapton Glass stones produce a more consistent edge across a wider range of steels and with many types of cutlery from pocket knives to very high end Japanese wood working tools and more. Naniwa makes some seriously great stones and I always have a difficult time not recommending the Chosera/pro stones. They are probably some of the best feeling stones and produce the cleanest scratch pattern but that will only play out in very select sharpening.

The Shapton Glass Stones were the last large "set" of stones I invested in and after my very first use my thoughts were... This is where I should have started.

 

[Walkthewalk111]

Thanks so much for all responses! Seems like the consensus is the Shapton Glass. I was also looking at the Work Sharp Ken Onion. Would anyone be so kind as to weigh-in on that system? I am not sure if I should be looking to put a convex edge on my kitchen knives, or a traditional V-Shaped bevel.

 

[Walkthewalk111]

Because the Shaptons are very hard stones you will need a good lapping plate such as the Atoma 140.

Can I get the 140 Atoma EP stone, or do I need the full-size plate for lapping? I have little interested in freehanding, so if I got the 140 Atoma for EP, at least I could get dual use out of it.

In one of your other threads, you said that the Atoma 140 is too course for lapping anything beyond a 500 Shapton Glass. Would I need a different lapping stone for the Shapton Glass 2K, or can I use the Atoma 140?

 

[Jason B.]

Can I get the 140 Atoma EP stone, or do I need the full-size plate for lapping? I have little interested in freehanding, so if I got the 140 Atoma for EP, at least I could get dual use out of it.



In one of your other threads, you said that the Atoma 140 is too course for lapping anything beyond a 500 Shapton Glass. Would I need a different lapping stone for the Shapton Glass 2K, or can I use the Atoma 140?

You need to use a plate that is at least the size of the sharpening stone if not larger. A smaller stone can be used for cleaning the surface but will be insufficient for lapping of full size stones.

Yes, I would say that beyond 1000 grit the Atoma 140 is too aggressive as a final surface prep and most stones will benefit from additional lapping. I like to use Nagura stones of either natural or synthetic type. My natural Chu nagura has lasted a long time being used as a simple surface cleaner and prep tool for finer stones after being lapped with the 140.

In general I like some sort of actual stone as a final surface prep, diamond plates cut a flat surface taking all the sharp points from the abrasive in the lapped stone. With Nagura stones you are "scrubbing" the surface and exposing abrasive allowing the stone to function properly.

The 140 is fine for lapping but for finer stones use additional finishing methods to help the surface texture. The 140 tends to leave large grooves in finer SG stones and you will notice it in sharpening.