Water stone recommendations?

U

Urban redneck

Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
393
Hello all! So I tend to do most of my sharpening with my Shaprmaker, but would like to try water stones for reprofiling and finish work. Does anyone have a recommendation on a good stone kit/grits that I should check out that preferably won't break the bank? Thx!
 
Water stones are great for your standard variety steels... Can be a little time consuming, even all but worthless on some of your higher end hard carbide varieties...

Norton is the best all around in my opinion, without spending a fortune, and they'll handle most of your modern mid level stainless steels pretty well also without premature wear or overly extended time on 'em (elmax, cts-xhp, s30v, s35v, n690/vg10, etc)... They're more true to their grit rating as well, where a cheaper stone will still work fine, esp. On your basic varieties, in my experience they wear and warp quicker, requiring more frequents lapping (leveling), and also their grit performance seems to about half, maybe just over that of a Norton, so keep that in mind.
-Ie. Two cheaper Brands I have used, and actually still have around for basic stuff, Taidea or a Horntide 1000 is more like a 6-800 hundred Norton, 2000 is more like a Norton 1000, and 8000 is more like a Norton 5 or 6k at best. (Better then the 4k, but certainly no where near the 8k).

The 4000/8000 combo stone is the most popular, and if you're like me and don't really let your knives get too dull in the first the place, that can really be all you need to maintain a very keen edge.
1000 is nice to have, lower is good for reprofiling a funky edge, higher is good for a more polished micro edge, (but 8 is still pretty nice with a strop).

If you go with a cheaper brand in a 4000/8000, you can certainly still get a nice cutting edge, but for a really fine edge I'd suggest buying a cheaper 10k or 12k also, as it will probably be similar to an norton 8k. You probably won't need anything lower provided your sharpening an existing edge, not reprofiling a completely chewed up one.
 
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Yes, Shapton Glass stones don't have the issues that more basic waterstones have, they are made of finely graded ceramic abrasive so they can handle modern alloys and cut quickly.

For a pocket knife there is no need for a stone above 4000 grit. 8k, 10k, and 12k stones are for honing straight razors.

A 500 and 2000 grit Shapton Glass with a good lapping plate would be an ideal start. There are many stones in the Shapton line to fulfill any need but the 500 and 2k do 99% of all that is needed to an edge.
 
Jason B. said:
Yes, Shapton Glass stones don't have the issues that more basic waterstones have, they are made of finely graded ceramic abrasive so they can handle modern alloys and cut quickly.

For a pocket knife there is no need for a stone above 4000 grit. 8k, 10k, and 12k stones are for honing straight razors.

A 500 and 2000 grit Shapton Glass with a good lapping plate would be an ideal start. There are many stones in the Shapton line to fulfill any need but the 500 and 2k do 99% of all that is needed to an edge.
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Where would be the best place to purchase the Shapton Glass stones in 500 and 2000 along with a compatible holder?

All I have at the moment is a Lansky kit and a two sided oil stone. My knives range from 2" to about 8" and none are of what people call a super steel but I hope to get one soon. :) If I can just figure out from whom as my knives are used mainly for game such as Deer and Hog. So keeping a very sharp edge is paramount.
 
JesterGrin_1 said:
Where would be the best place to purchase the Shapton Glass stones in 500 and 2000 along with a compatible holder?
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Bob from Oldawan Tools is great to deal with (and a dealer on the forum... OldawanBob). (Email or call him, he doesn't have the GlassStones on his site, but does have most in stock).

Edit to add:

While I agree with Jason that the 500 & 2000 is a good set... you might want to check out the Knife Sharpening set that Shapton has. It's the 500, 2000, and 16K stone set that also comes with a stone holder that doubles as a carrying case for the set. While you can polish an edge out with the 16K if you want, on many knives I just use it where some would use a strop... just a few passes to clean up the edge. Worth checking out.
 
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Not to hijack someone else's thread, but seems to be on the same topic - anyone have an opinion on Shun waterstones? They sell 300/1000 and 1000/6000 combo stones. The size is a little odd (7.5" x 2.5" x 1.25") but they have their own little rubber bases so I suppose it doesn't matter that much. I haven't used waterstones yet so I am not sure what is a good starting point. The reason I ask about that particular brand is that I can get them for a good price, about in line with or a little less than Norton combo waterstones.
 
jc57 said:
Not to hijack someone else's thread, but seems to be on the same topic - anyone have an opinion on Shun waterstones? They sell 300/1000 and 1000/6000 combo stones. The size is a little odd (7.5" x 2.5" x 1.25") but they have their own little rubber bases so I suppose it doesn't matter that much. I haven't used waterstones yet so I am not sure what is a good starting point. The reason I ask about that particular brand is that I can get them for a good price, about in line with or a little less than Norton combo waterstones.
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I'm curious about recommendations for this stone too...

I don't want to double hijack but also wondering about any concerns using waterstones for slip joint pocket knives with carbon steel - rust or slurry particles in the joints?

Thank you
 
It's a rebranded stone such as King or Surhiro, it's typically from one of the economy lines so it's a very basic stone.
 
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