Japanese Water Stones - 250/1000 or 1000/6000 combo grit stone?

[csisland]

I'm just starting out with the stones and was wondering what is the better combination to have? I would be sharpening gec carbon steel, some bucks, and some spyderco's.

 

[jobasha11]

The 1000/6000 would be of better use for everday sharpening. You wouldnt really need the 250 unless some major reprofiling is going on.

 

[Krav]

I would get the shapton pro's 320,1000,5000 and flattening plate and a holder. And your good to go.

The combos may wear quickly, doh no if you plan on using them often?

 

[csisland]

I would get the shapton pro's 320,1000,5000 and flattening plate and a holder. And your good to go.

The combos may wear quickly, doh no if you plan on using them often?

What's the flattening plate for?

 

[csisland]

The 1000/6000 would be of better use for everday sharpening. You wouldnt really need the 250 unless some major reprofiling is going on.

Thanks for the feedback. I thought you guys were going to say 250/1000. So for everyday pocket knives I guess the 1000/6000 is the way to go.

 

[csisland]

I would get the shapton pro's 320,1000,5000 and flattening plate and a holder. And your good to go.

The combos may wear quickly, doh no if you plan on using them often?

What's the 320 grit used for, reprofiling?

 

[jobasha11]

What's the flattening plate for?

When you use a stone, it wears down on the places you use it. Especially when you don't use the whole stone, it becomes uneven. You need to keep it flat for best performance and thats where the flattening plate comes into play- to flatten your stones.

 

[Jason B.]

I would be guessing your are looking at King stones, while a good stone it's very basic and with today's modern steels in pocket knives you might find them lacking in performance. They also wear quickly and need to be lapped with every use.

The Shapton Pro set on the other hand will work with anything and is only a slight cost increase with a huge performance increase. They are also very hard stones that wear slowly. The 320 stone is for when that extra grinding power is needed. The lapping plate is for keeping the stone level, a dished stone is not good for sharpening. These too should be lapped with each use but it's more to keep the dishing from happening than to correct it. With stones as hard as the shaptons or Chosera waiting to lap the stone can create a big headache so it's best to stay ahead of things.

 

[csisland]

My head is spinning with grit sizes and how many stones I need.

 

[Krav]

My head is spinning with grit sizes and how many stones I need.

Knifenut nailed it. Watch some videos of sharpening techniques, you'll never get it done, and you can't get it wrong, relax and enjoy the unfolding.

 

[Jason B.]

With Japanese waterstone you only need 3 basic stones, a coarse, a medium, and a fine stone. With the Shapton set you get all the basic stone grits needed and great performance to boot. Don't feel limited to them though, there are many quality stones to pick from and I have used most of them so if you have questions post them and I will do my best to guide you on the correct path.

It's good to start with good stones so you don't end up like me with a bucket full of stones you don't use.

 

[Sadden]

If you want a combo stone get the 150/1200 Nubatama , you can push this further with the 5k nubatama.

Shapton Pro 3 piece grab the 220 , 1500 , 5000 stones. I like the 320 but the 220 is harder and slightly faster. More similar in hardness to the other two stones.