Thread: Best brand arkansas stones

Good to know. Whatever they want to call it, if it gets my edges where I want them, I'm good with it.

I did get a chance lap it and both sides were dead flat right from the start. I hit both sides with 400 and finished the fine side with 600 and added a bit of bevel to the corners. The sides are much smoother to the touch now.

I haven't decided if I want to burnish either of the sides yet. I'll figure that out after I see what it will do as is.

I honed up a pocket knife and a touched up a couple of kitchen knives with some Smith's honing solution. I'm really liking this stone. The edges came out quite well. The 8" length was nice with the longer kitchen knives and I find the 2" width easier to hold. All in all I think it's going to work out well.

I'm a little late to the party, but I've got a few stones from Best (Soft and hard Arkansas) and my translucent came from Dan's. Best's stones are Arkies, there's no doubt in my mind there. They do get the job done as well as any other Arkansas soft & hard stone I've ever owned. And they came pretty well flattened too. I'd say there's nothing wrong with them, but I do prefer my Dan's stone. Probably because it's a full inch thick and stands up higher above my sharpening stand. The Best stones I always feel a need to set the stand or stone on something taller to make up the difference.

If I'm holding the rock I prefer 6" x 2" but most of my honing is on a bench stone and I prefer 8" x 3" when it's possible. An 8" x 2" profile works well enough though. It's not too terribly important, if you're diligent you can do anything with a 4x1 that you can with an 8x2 stone. Just takes a little longer and a little more patience.

Good to know the Best stones aren't junk.

I've been quite happy with the Dan's 8x2 combo. I hold my stones and don't have overly large hands, so the 2" width has been nice. Sometimes I'll get cramps in my holding hand with 3" stones.

I agree with the extra thickness being nice. I've used 1/2" thick stones with knives for years, but the crazy sharpness of razors has made me much more conscious of where my holding hand is relative to the edge.

Agreed, 1" thick stones in the hand are much more comforting. When I'm using something the thickness of the average barber hone I am very, very wary of where the blade is, where it's going, and where my fingers are in relation to that.

I hone everything, with stone in hand. The thin, 1/2" stones, I hold in the palm of a open hand, finger tips out of the way.

By holding a stone in hand, it acts as a gimbal bearing. If I apply too much pressure to the heel or toe, the stone will tilt to match, ensuring even pressure though out the length of the blade. In short, no honing off the edge of the stone, common when honing on a flat, fixed surface.