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.

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?

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)

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.

Gouging is a risk with most stones, more so with a resin stone such as the Superstone. It's not guaranteed to happen, but it could. The big nicks a cooking knife tends to attract can be a real problem.

Lapping is the real issue. If the same stone does double duty, you will need to lap it often and thus shorten its lifespan. This is why I have separate knife and razor stones. If you have limited storage space and/or budget, you may decide it's worth the risk to just go with the smallest number of hones for now.

The Chosera 1K is hard enough to withstand knives with minimal lapping needed. At the next stage, I might go with a Super 5K for razors and one of those cheap King 6Ks for knives (I have one, it does a fine job) and then whatever you want from there on up. Going to 8K or higher on most kitchen knives is counterproductive, so those higher-grit stones are likely to be razors-only anyway.

+1 to all the above.

I can't speak with expertise to the straight razor side, but as for knives...

The Naniwa superstones are quite soft for learning to freehand knives on. You'll probably be okay with the 1k Naniwa SS, but 3k or higher you'll almost certainly put many gouges in as you're learning.

My suggestion would be to insert the above recommended Suehiro Riko at 5k -- it's a bit firmer and easier to freehand knives on.

For 8k+, you can probably get away with only trailing strokes for knives, so going with Naniwa SS will be okay. Though I personally don't take any of my knives any higher than 5k anymore.

And (strictly for knives), in case you haven't heard it before, make sure you're able to reliably get a good edge at each stage before you start in at higher grits. That is, get comfortable at 1k before attempting 3k or higher or you'll just be wearing out stones without putting any better edge on. It'll take time and practice to be able to hold a steady enough angle to make use of the higher grits.

I have the 1K-3K-8K and the 12K naniwa stones and would never never never use them on any knife. straight razors only. for knives I get an different stone. just my opinion.