Thread: Cheap Japanese Water Stones on The Bay

In a general sense, when we buy cheap we'll likely have to buy again.

There's good reason why Belgian Ardennes Coticule are expensive: http://www.ardennes-coticule.be/en Buy one and you'll never have to buy another.

Arrived today. I will try it and let you know how it goes.

Well, honed up my Ka-Bar knife today on the cheap stone. Have to say I am impressed. Soaked it a few minutes and kept it wet and it put a nice edge on the knife. Worth the $16 to me.

My advice is that you take everything I say with a grain of salt, but...

I am a bit of a snob that my tools are as sharp as I can reasonably get them and I endeavor to keep them that way. As a wood carver who forges and grinds most of his tools, I feel obliged to take care of them, as a straight razor user and little bit of a collector I have a strong appreciation for a razor that actually cuts my beard rather than ripping it out from the roots so sharp is better. That being said when I sharpen stuff I usually start with a high quality wet polishing paper (Buhler brand is my favorite) and set the bevel using the finest (P1200 or higher). I set the paper on a true flat surface that is dedicated to that purpose and lightly work my way up to the finest paper I have which is P4000. My research tells me this P rating is very close to the grit on stones. For decades I went from there to chromium oxide and a strop and declared it done. You fine folks convinced me to get me a water stone so I got a cheap (china) 3k/8k that I later was told was junk. Maybe I really don't know what good is, but that thing sure puts a fine polish on the edge and does a heck of a job as a quickie touch-up. For my straight bladed knives I usually use the 5 Arkansas that have been in my family for 3 generations.

Correction to the above, the finest wet paper I use in my missive above is the US grade 1200 which is he European F1000 (5 micron) and similar to the 4k grit water stone but a little more abrasive. Need a light hand.

It’s not so much, that cheap water stones are junk, just that the binders are usually soft so the stones slurry easily.

For tool and knives were a 1k edge is fine and 4k even, more better, those stones are fine. Though a knife tip or chisel corner can gouge a soft stone, nothing lapping will not fix.

The Traditional line of Naniwa stones are great work horses and value, for tools, knives and even razors.

Ark edge on either, are hard to beat and harder to damage with a knife tip. Even with all my stones, still love an Ark Edge.