Looking for my first "good" sharpening stone or stones. What should I get.

M

muell

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Feb 10, 2007
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3
Up until now Ive only had very cheap walmart sharpening stones and Id like to get something alot better. I have a few different knives I will be sharpening but my current knife that needs it is a Benchmade 943 osborne with a s30v blade. Id like something thats kind of a do it all and pretty forgiving to a unexperienced sharpener. I also dont want to cheap out I want something that is quality and will last. Any recommendations?
 
Norton combination India stone and a set of Norton waterstones. You could get a lot fancier, but if you're not sure what kinds of abrasives you prefer, stick with some simple but good quality options and branch out from there.
 
HeavyHanded said:
Norton combination India stone and a set of Norton waterstones. You could get a lot fancier, but if you're not sure what kinds of abrasives you prefer, stick with some simple but good quality options and branch out from there.
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This ^^^

Or DMT hones in Coarse and Fine.
 
What is your budget? That is, in my opinion, the determining factor in what equipment to purchase. The Sharpmaker, Edgerpro,etc. are great systems, but some great stones can be had for a little more coin.
 
I dont really have a set budget I dont need something overly nice. Im not going into the sharpening buisness it will just be for my own pocket knives and kitchen knives. That being said I am willing to pay for quality but I dont need the best unless there is a good reason to justify the extra cost. I want the jeep of sharpening stones not the Ferrari.
 
muell said:
I remember my dad having a norton stone so maybe Ill try that.

This the one?
http://www.amazon.com/Norton-614636...5ZDY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327078673&sr=8-2

Could you post a link to the waterstone?
What grit water stone? 4000/8000?

To be honest I dont understand why I would need the india stone and a water stone but I guess i need to do some more reading.
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That's the one, you can use it with some light oil (mineral oil) or you can boil it in a pot of water for a few minutes and use it with soap and water or just water, or dry. The waterstones can be had at any Woodcraft store or just Google "Norton Combo stones"

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2004486/2004486.aspx

Norton combo waterstones, while not my personal favorite (though do own and use them), are probably the best value going, get a 220/1000, and 4000/8000 (the 8000 is a bit over the top for practical uses, you could just opt for 220/1000 and 1000/4000 - the 1000 grit is your workhorse) and you can do whatever you want. The India stone will come in handy for lapping the waterstones flat (they dish out a bit with use). The reasoning behind getting both is you don't know which you'll prefer if you haven't tried them. You'll have a whetstone and waterstones, both of good quality. Personally I use my 8" India stone on my machetes now (used to use sandpaper but the India does a better job). No fuss and it never needs flattening. For my smaller knives I use waterstones. The waterstones are faster and have better feedback for free-hand sharpening, but a longer learning curve (and IMHO create the best edge possible of all the options out there).

You can get fantastic results with either and never want another stone(s). If you find you prefer one over the other you can explore other brands etc to suit your taste/curiosity, but you'll have a base knowledge of whetstones and waterstones - the two basic varieties of stone (I consider diamonds to be whetstones), it won't cost much, and you're using products that are well-proven.
 
I agree w/ HeavyHand. However, your experience level may cause S30V to be a challenge as its not an easy steel to sharpen. DM
 
S30V responds well to diamond hones. I've used DMT bench stones for well over a decade and they still work as good as new.
 
if you have to get a set, id suggest a set of Shapton GlassStone. get a set from 180grit to 30000grit.

oh and dont bother with the sharpmaker. i laught at anyone which thinks its the best thing since sliced bread.
 
Sandpaper and a leather strop. I have both a Sharpmaker and a set of DMT bench stones and they work fine, but I rarely use them anymore. I use a $30 Harbor Freight 1x30 belt sander to reprofile my knives to a convex edge, and finish up on 1000 grit sandpaper and a strop.
 
I have one of the Norton combo stones (oil). Its my work horse stone. They last along time unless you drop it and break it. Mine is 30+ years old and still very useable. Sometimes I'll use an ceramic (Spyderco fine) to put the final edge on my VG-10 or S30V folders.

Ric
 
I use a diamond stone combo for my knives. Currently, I use these two:

http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-DCS4-C...YV6L/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1327472770&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Abrasiv...IE/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=1327472834&sr=8-35

The course side to the wand is 325 grit if you should ever need to reprofile an edge. The small stone (which gets the most action for me) is 400 grit, and it gives a nice hair poppin' edge to my knives. And, finally, the fine side of the wand is a 750 grit diamond stone, for if you REALLY want to put a pristine, razor-edge to your knives.

As said before, S30V takes to diamond sharpeners in an amazing way, and I agree 100%. It's all I use for my S30V and 14C28N knives. You really don't even need honing solution if you don't have it.

Again, the 400 grit stone is all you need if you're going to piece this together one stone at a time. If you maintain your blade regularly and don't go crazy (chip at concrete or metal with it), this should be all you need to keep an EDC blade razor sharp and ready for action. It will put a NICE edge to both kinds of steel, with very little work. I'd swear by that tiny stone if I had to.

It's size makes it difficult to sharpen larger knives, but it's easy to get past that since it does such an excellent job.

Alternatively, for larger knives, you can get this:

http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Abrasiv...6G/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1327472817&sr=8-23

I don't have this stone, but it appears to be a larger form of the wand. Same coarse (325) and fine (750) sides on a stand for two-handed sharpening.
 
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