Thread: Cheap Japanese Water Stones on The Bay

I would never use them on my razors, but has anyone tried the cheap waterstones ~$16 for a double sided hone for knives? I have a Norton 4k/8K, plus Naniwa 12K for my razors I do not want to put my knives on them. I figure for around $16 hey might be usable with knives.

Why wouldnt you use your knife sharpening stones to sharpen your knives? Most knives will be fine after a 1k, but the 4k/8k is excellent if you need "sharper".

I would look for a vintage stone on an auction site or such. Search for 'Washita Stone" or "Arkansas stone" should be able to find something in that price range that is history proven for knives. heck some are great for razors as well.

Pick up a Chefs Knives to Go, 400/1k combo diamond plate, $35 and a Nubatama, 2k Green Brick, $58, or a hard Ark, or a $20, King 1k. Any of these stones with a diamond plate, will keep your knives smoking sharp.

The Green Brick is a hard, fast cutting 2k, that you can use one side for knives and the other for razors, after a1k, that will cut your 4k time considerably.

Arks are great for knives, and Diamond plates will get bevel flat and chip free in short order. The 1k Diamond plate leaves a nice edge on a knife.

Skip the cheap EBay stones, they are not worth the hassle.

Originally Posted by rjezuit

I would never use them on my razors, but has anyone tried the cheap waterstones ~$16 for a double sided hone for knives? I have a Norton 4k/8K, plus Naniwa 12K for my razors I do not want to put my knives on them. I figure for around $16 hey might be usable with knives.

I recently bought a set of Taideas as they were just in a sell out on ebay here in germany. 3.99 € for the 5000 or the 8000 single stone, 5.99 € for a 3000/8000 combination stone and 5.99 € for a 400/1000 one. So i have all stones from 400 to 8000 plus a diamondplate 360/600 for 3.99 €. I tested the complete setup from 1000 to 8000 on a gold dollar 209, all stones flattened on a 150 grid diamondplate. For the 5000 and the 8000 150 grid is a bit too coarse, you have a bit too much autoslurry on the first set of strokes. I had no problems with mircrodamage to the apex, but the finish was poor for 8000. Yes, you can shave after some stropping on linen and leather, but i suggest a proper natural stone as finisher. I got a small "15K" welsh slate, and it doesn't bother, wether you sharpened the razor with Naniwas or Taideas to 8000.

So, some say we are just Hone snobs, and some of us are and proud of it. But for quality stones, it is not just about grit size and price. There are other things to take into consideration.

For sharpening knives, first is size. With a razor, you can get away with a small-er stone but for large kitchen knives, larger is better.

Grit, what is the grit? You want aggressive, but not too aggressive for finishers. Is the grit a mix or a single type of grit?

And lastly the binder, the heart of a stone, it should not be so soft, that it is constantly breaking down, so you don’t get an even bevel, and will not stay flat, especially at higher grits. Or too hard that it does not cut and glazes.

Additionally, how a knife is sharpened will largely depend on it use, and the knife’s steel quality, but for general kitchen use, a 1-4k edge is a good for most uses.

So, it is not just that cheap stones are inexpensive, they are poorly designed and intended for a one time or limited use market.

A quality stone is a life time purchase for razors and knives. Once you get used to sharp knives, you will look at knives completely differently and seek better quality knives.

If you buy good quality single grit stones for razors, use one side for razors, the other for knives. You will also need something in 2-300 grit, if the knives are not maintained regularly.

My bride is a very good cook, but she is death, on a knife edge, I often find a knife at the bottom of a sink full of dishes. I know it time to sharpen when I hear, “Hey mister uber-sharpener pants, my knife is duller than Charlie Rose…”

I usually touch up her favorites, once a week and keep 2 kitchen drawers of knives in wood holders, about a dozen, so there is always a sharp knife handy.

BTW a good steel, diamond or ceramic rod, will get you through a task till you can put it on a hone. Chef Knives to Go is a good source for quality kitchen knife stuff.

Oh,, you slipped up this time !! " mister uber-sharpener pants"

I'm gonna use this one someday .

Originally Posted by Euclid440

If you buy good quality single grit stones for razors, use one side for razors, the other for knives. You will also need something in 2-300 grit, if the knives are not maintained regularly.

This is what I do, most stones have printing on the side, I look at it as the "top" side is for razors, and bottom for knives.
But I am a complete stamp whore, so if my stones have huge stamps on the top, like the "naniwa Snow White Original" I reserve it for only razors, but that is my own stupidity.

If this is not "legal", please delete. This is the stone in 2k/5k. For ~16.00 it might be a paper weight. But I do not want to ruin my
razor stones by sharpening knives on them. Grit Dual Whetstone Knife Sharpener Water Stone 2000/5000 3000/8000 1000/4000

Originally Posted by rjezuit

If this is not "legal", please delete. This is the stone in 2k/5k. For ~16.00 it might be a paper weight. But I do not want to ruin my
razor stones by sharpening knives on them. Grit Dual Whetstone Knife Sharpener Water Stone 2000/5000 3000/8000 1000/4000

You won't ruin your stones by sharpening a knife on it. I use all my stones with my kitchen/hunting/pocket knives(even my $, $$$ jnats). Unless you think you'll gouge the crap out of your stone, but if that's the case you probably shouldn't be sharpening knives anyway. If it's the cheap route your after, I don't see those ones being an issue. Just know you get what you pay for and they may not be all that good.