Sharpmaker as a bench stone

Frank_Zuccarini said:
Medium = 3-4k
Fine = 8k
Extra Fine = 13-14k
Click to expand...
hardheard answered this already, but I wanted to emphasis that this classification is IMHO total bogus no matter if the japanese or the western grit rating is applied. By roughly averaging the varying opinions that I have read on this forum about the Spyderco stones and by comparing scratch patterns with my japanese waterstones. I would say that a grit rating on the japanese scale of
medium->800-900
fine->2000-3000
UF->4000-5000 maybe even 6000
seems reasonable. This is an approximation only of course. There is no definitive correlation between the waterstone grit and particle size in micron, since the original grit rating was estabilish in reference to natural stones, so there seems some variablity between the manufacurers but by and large the Shapton scale seems to hold (see the glassstones:http://shaptonstones.com/index.php?main_page=page_3&zenid=71f32d855785d367bdce5a18c1d0f411)
As I explained earlier, there is not definitive grid rating possible for the Spyderco ceramic stone, since they are not grade by particle size but rather by their sintering process. The appearance of the ceramic stones depends also on how well they are maintained (cleaned) and whether the flats or corners are used. The numbers that I gave refer to the flats of a freshly cleaned rod/stone.
 
Yeah the Spyderco stones are hard to pin down to a grit. Just as I'd rate my Spyderco Med. bench hone as producing a finer finish than my Shapton 1000. I will agree with HoB that water stones are by far my first choice for finer grit. For under the 1000 grit mark I really prefer the DMTs. However, for most people a coarse DMT, or cheap black silicon hone, a med Spyderco bench hone, and a strop will take care of all your basic sharpening needs.
 
The abrasives in the Spyderco ceramics are less angular and less aggressive. Thus they leave a smoother finish. The Badger and Blade thread shows an opinion based on how smooth the resultant edge shaves. Maybe that explains the very high grit claimed which is much higher than most knife threads cite.
 
I just saw this thread, and I rarely post but I feel pretty strongly about Spyderco hones. I shave with a straight and belong to a straight razor forum as well as this one. For a long time I debated getting a Norton 8000 after I got the Ultra Fine Spyderco hone. I finally got it, and the Spyderco cuts finer. However, the polish it puts on the blade isn't a mirror finish like the Norton. It makes a hazy reflection, almost like the metal was smeared instead of cut. I think that's the reason it puts such a fine edge on a blade. One of the guys took a picture of the edges of a straight razor under high magnification and it had the smoothest looking edge. It also shaves very well. I would not hesitate to recommend spyderco bench stones to anybody, although they cut slower than waterstones IMO and have to be cleaned more often.
 
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