Thread: Naniwa 1k &5k water stone

I am conteplating purchasing Naniwa set consisting of 1k,5k, 8k and 12k. My question is are Naniwas two sided. I would like to have the stones that would double as knife sharpening and razor sharpening set. I am specifically talking in 1k and 5k grit. Thank you in advance. Mo

Yes you can lap both sides. Some used to come attached to stands but I have not seen any of these for some time.

To me, the Super Stones are stones that feel like they were made for straight razors. They are consistent, reliable and always produce dependable results. The are definitely softer though and would not be my preference to use for knives. The Chosera's are excellent for knives and as already stated, the Shapton Glass stones work well too.

Have fun.

So if I get 1k and 6k in chosera and the rest in super stone I would be all set? Just to clarify I will dedicate one side of each grit for knife and other for razor use only. I would.not.mind spending extra on shaptons but you can not just flip shaptons amd use the other side , right?

I can't speak about the 5K Superstone, but the 5K Chosera is a terrible investment. Naniwa let a large number of bad 5K stones escape their factory. Trust me, it's not a pleasant thing to see your $140 stone crack and start to crumble after 2 uses. Even if they've improved their process since those stones were made, it would be impossible to guarantee that you got a good one.

At the 5K level, there seem to be a lot of Superstone fans, and I personally like the Suehiro Rika for both razors and knives.

Originally Posted by Muamero

So if I get 1k and 6k in chosera

There's no official 6K Chosera. Naniwa does make a very good 6K that happens to look and feel exactly like a chosera but for some reason isn't marketed as one.

You can find them marketed as "Yellow Penguin" or CKtG sells them bafflingly labeled as their "Nubatama Ume 4K". I've got two and I like them a lot.

Originally Posted by Muamero

So if I get 1k and 6k in chosera and the rest in super stone I would be all set? Just to clarify I will dedicate one side of each grit for knife and other for razor use only. I would.not.mind spending extra on shaptons but you can not just flip shaptons amd use the other side , right?

You can use both sides if you like one for knives and one for razors. But I don't see the point of doing so. It could be because of my inexperience but I would not see it mattering as long as you are lapping and keeping one side flat. But it could be your preference to do so.

But in light of above evidence of higher level choseras having problems I would probably also chose the supers if it was my choice. But I went after the shaptons and as long as I keep them flat I use them for both knives and razors (I have the 1,4,8,16k versions)

To build on what UKRob said:
The old(er) Naniwa super stones (usually?/always?) come attached to a base so you can only use one of the sides but Naniwa has fairly recently released the new Naniwa specialty stones that are the new updated Super stones, the ones I've seen do not come attached to a base so you could use both sides.

Yes I meant 5k not 6k. I was then mistakenly under impression that sharpening knives would gauge the stone and render it not suitable for razor sharpening. You are saying as long as I lap them before each use I can use the same side for knives and razors?

Originally Posted by Muamero

Yes I meant 5k not 6k. I was then mistakenly under impression that sharpening knives would gauge the stone and render it not suitable for razor sharpening. You are saying as long as I lap them before each use I can use the same side for knives and razors?

Lapping and flattening should take out any gouges that u may make. But of course the softer the stone the more likely the gouges can happen. But as long as you lap them smooth this would be no problem using the same side. Plus in these higher grits and depending on how quickly they cut, you shouldn't need to put much pressure into sharpening any tool, whether knife and especially razor save bevel setting. But even on all this all stones need to be lapped and flattened as part of regular maintenance. So as long as you lap your stones smooth prior to your sharpening session you should be fine.