Thread: ~1K Stone for razors & knives

I've been considering a new 1K hone for a while now. I picked up a second hand King 1K/6K about 5 years ago and it's been my sharpening workhorse since. The 6K has developed some cracks but I was never very keen on that side anyway. I find the 1K side an adequate stone but I'm getting a little tired of constant lapping & soaking.

The 1K Chosera seems to be pretty popular as a bevel setter but just curious if wanting something that works well for both knives and razors would change things. The Chosera is appealing as I can use one face for knives and another for razors, maybe even the side for penknives, to cut down on lapping but I had been looking at the Shapton pro/glass stones too which sound to be fairly hard wearing anyway.

I'm not sharpening any exotic steel just carbon knives & razors and a few cheap stainless steel kitchen knives. My current set up is a DMT 325 D8C for lapping/rough work > King 1K for bevel setting > Coticule to strop. Also hoping to pick up a Japanese natural for after the coticule soon.

In razors terms I want something that I can take directly to a coticule as I do from my 1K King, and for knives something coming from the, well worn, DMT 325 D8C. I don't antipate buying more synth stones in the near future but who knows where HAD will take me.

The Chosera is great for razors and knives. As is the Shapton Pro. Both good choices imo!

I have no idea about a replacement 1K. For splash and go perhaps the 1K super stone, or a shapton glass 1K.

I'm using a king 1/6 as my bevel setter as well, and the 6K side has been replaced with 5, 8, 12K naniwa super stones.

There is something you can have a bit of fun with tho. If you take a container and put some oil in it, then drop the 6K side into it and let it soak in ( don't get any oil on the 1K side) then the 6K stone becomes something very different. You still use water on it but don't soak, just splash and go, And you still build a slurry like normal with a diamond plate, But as you work that slurry thinner and thinner it breaks down and doesn't release any more slurry. It's almost like a friable grit stone if you do this. And the final polish after is comparable to the Naniwa 8K. It actually makes that 6K side a very nice mid finisher. And the final polish is mirrored rather than the standard frosted.

I always put water on the 1K side with a squirty bottle till it no longer absorbs rather than soaking. It takes about 2 mins of prep time to get the 1K side to stop absorbing, and once it has stopped then your ready to use it as a splash and go.


Naniwa superstone 1K £37.50

Naniwa Super Stone 1000, 20 mm on base | knivesandtools.co.uk

Naniwa chosera 1K £45.50

Naniwa Chosera 1000 Sharpening stone | knivesandtools.co.uk

Shapton glass 1K £42.56

Shapton Stones


You may also need a 2 or 3K stone. The king 1K is a very slow shallow cutter, and it doesn't cut deep into the metal. Meaning that the coti's have shallow scratches to remove. The other more aggressive stones will probably cut deeper and take more work out time without a 2-3K intermediate step.

I like the Shapton Pro also. They use a different grit scale than Naniwa, and I'm currently using the Shapton Pro 2k, which produces a very similar scratch pattern to the Naniwa 1k and is faster IMO.

Cheers, Steve

Thanks for the feedback

Iceni:
Even though my 6K side of the King conbo is negleted & cracked I'm still not sure I can bring myself to soak it in oil. The Chosera 1K on Eden is at the top of the list atm. Cheers for the Shapton stone UK link, you don't know of a UK seller for Shapton Pro's by any chance?

Steve56:
The Shapton pro I had in mind was the 1.5K. The 2K might be an option, cheers.

Nope I have not seen anyone selling the pro range directly from the UK, I'll have another look if I get chance.

Pro 1500, £38 + £5 delivery.
Shapton Professional Whetstone - Niwaki

The company has an address in Dorset as well so they may well be part UK based, I would check before you buy.

I really really love my jns 1000, bit higher, but its a beast

Shapton pro 1k and bester 1200 are my two favorite 1k grit stones.

the bester requires a soak, though, and is a thirsty and not-so-silky stone. Neither is silky, I guess.

The shapton pro 1k uses what is effectively 800 grit abrasive now, IIRC, it's 1k under an older japanese grit rating system.

Any of the stones mentioned, really, are good stones.

I just ordered a Shapton Pro 1500 & 5000 from Tools from Japan, £67 delivered. Hoping this will be a nice upgrade from the King 1K/6K. Thanks for all the input.

Originally Posted by Proinsias

I just ordered a Shapton Pro 1500 & 5000 from Tools from Japan, £67 delivered. Hoping this will be a nice upgrade from the King 1K/6K. Thanks for all the input.

Very nice stones I use exclusively. In fact the whole system is great. The 1k, 1500 & 2k are great for repairs & bevel setting & you can start at whichever level is needed. On good condition razors the 2k is my bevel setter.
DaveW's post is interesting. I always likened the 1k pro to 800 grit & the 1500 closer to 1k or 1200 grit.