Thread: Which 1K should I get along with a Naniwa 5K/8K/12K set?

Depends on how many razors you hone...

The Naniwa SS 1k is very capable...

However out of just about every 1k out there and yes I am an idiot and have owned, tried, or still own them all, I haven't missed many...

The Naniwa Chosera is way above the rest in overall performance and price, it is truly a professional's hone....and like Dylan already said most people don't need it...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Depends on how many razors you hone...

The Naniwa SS 1k is very capable...

However out of just about every 1k out there and yes I am an idiot and have owned, tried, or still own them all, I haven't missed many...

The Naniwa Chosera is way above the rest in overall performance and price, it is truly a professional's hone....and like Dylan already said most people don't need it...

Excellent, that's good to hear. I doubt I'll get the Chosera to begin with simply because it's like three times as expensive as the SS

And as you say, it all depends on how many razors I'll be honing, and as I plan to own just two razors for as long as I can(doubt it'll be long haha) I figure the SS should be fine. If I never find the need for the Chosera I can always get it as well.


Thanks to everyone who commented, I'm glad I could make such a confident decision on what hones to get so early on(wish I could have done that in regards to razors before getting my Shavette...), so thanks again for helping me decide on that last stone. Of course it could change between now and when I finally acquire my first hone; could be a while, maybe a year or so, maybe earlier, who knows. But for now, I'm happy. I also considered a coticule, the whole one hone does it all concept is definitely very appealing, but the somewhat steeper learning curve regarding it was not. I'm not even gonna mention the Japanese naturals...

If I ever take a serious gander at those I'm screwed...

Nobody's mentioned the Shapton pros.
I just got the 2,5,& 12k & these things amaze me at how fast they cut carbon steel & how flat they stay.

I was pretty impressed with Bester's 2k, also hard n fast but yet to try the 1k.
Would love to try the Chosera 1k tho

Like many of the experienced gentleman has already said, the Naniwa SS 1K will serve you perfectly. It is a great stone and it works well with what you are planning on buying.

I would like to add though, that if you would like to use your 1K stone for other knifes as well, the Chosera 1K is a great option.
I use the Chosera for both razors and Knives.
I have dedicated one of the sides for razors exclusively, to avoid any gouging or dishing from other uses.

Originally Posted by Birnando

Like many of the experienced gentleman has already said, the Naniwa SS 1K will serve you perfectly. It is a great stone and it works well with what you are planning on buying.

I would like to add though, that if you would like to use your 1K stone for other knifes as well, the Chosera 1K is a great option.
I use the Chosera for both razors and Knives.
I have dedicated one of the sides for razors exclusively, to avoid any gouging or dishing from other uses.

Hmm, that is a god idea... BY side I assume you mine the side of the stone, as in the part that is not really meant for sharpening, not the opposite side?

I have been using either the SS 1K or Chosera 1K going on a couple years now and the results from both are always good. I am using the Chosera more these days and am on a quest to wear one out. Doesn't look like that will happen in the near future.

Have fun,

Lynn

Originally Posted by HColl

Hmm, that is a god idea... BY side I assume you mine the side of the stone, as in the part that is not really meant for sharpening, not the opposite side?

Sorry, I wasn't very clear in my post about that.
I meant to say the opposite side of the stone.
One side for razors, one side for knives.
The edges are not used. By me that is:-)

Originally Posted by Lynn

I have been using either the SS 1K or Chosera 1K going on a couple years now and the results from both are always good. I am using the Chosera more these days and am on a quest to wear one out. Doesn't look like that will happen in the near future.

Have fun,

Lynn

Thanks for the response Lynn. I'll probably end up getting the SS, but knowing me I'll probably end up wanting to try the Chosera as well at some point to see the difference.

Originally Posted by Birnando

Sorry, I wasn't very clear in my post about that.
I meant to say the opposite side of the stone.
One side for razors, one side for knives.
The edges are not used. By me that is:-)

Ah, gotcha. For some reason I thought only one side was meant for sharpening...

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I also think the SS 1k feels softer than I'd like, but it's still a great hone. Especially if you don't hone a ton of razors. It is definitely a very capable bevel setter. I would be afraid to do a knife on it, though, for fear of gouging and/or dishing the hone. But I know next to nothing about sharpening knives, so you could probably ignore that part.

You're right on there.

If the OP can't find a low-grit Naniwa SS that is without the base (double-sided) to use one side for cutlery than he shouldn't use the Naniwa for cutlery and should get a different stone.

Cutlery is crude by comparison. The fun is in the sharpening, but the edge's quality and smoothness is no where near what is required for a shaving edge. I successfully use a three dollar india stone (aluminum oxide) 8x2 to sharpen most of my cutlery. I've used the flat side of the Norton silicon carbide flattener (it's not flat, argh) and my DMT8C (which is what I now use to lap my stones) to rip off a lot of steel for repairing an edge or rebevelling. After that it's on to the india stone, from there maybe my DMT1200 or another stone that is my favorite finisher. Trust me, when you realize how easy it is to hone a kitchen knife to a level of smoothness that makes it difficult to cut into the skin of nightshade fruits (chiles, tomatos) then you realize all those fancy higher-end hones don't have much practical use for most kitchen cutlery.

I took a culinary student's inherited cutlery kit (brother was apparently involved in butchery) and layed into it with ferocity. Big 'ole scimitar, a VG-10 Deba, all sorts of blades. Man, it was a blast. Almost the opposite of open razor honing. Two very different kinds of sharpening. All I needed was a few stones, and after the major metal removal the brunt of the work was a cheap india stone. Lapping the aluminum oxide was done carefully with a diamond encrusted tower-grater type cheap sharpener (neither of the DMTs). All in all about six sharpeners including the lappers, but really only 3-4 would be needed for the chore.

Using naniwa SSs for cutlery is a definite no-go, says I. And yes, I've used cutlery on Norton's 4k (mine is cursed so used it for major edge reshaping/repair) so I know what I'm talking about. Use the right tool for the task.

Originally Posted by AxelH

You're right on there.

If the OP can't find a low-grit Naniwa SS that is without the base (double-sided) to use one side for cutlery than he shouldn't use the Naniwa for cutlery and should get a different stone.

Cutlery is crude by comparison. The fun is in the sharpening, but the edge's quality and smoothness is no where near what is required for a shaving edge. I successfully use a three dollar india stone (aluminum oxide) 8x2 to sharpen most of my cutlery. I've used the flat side of the Norton silicon carbide flattener (it's not flat, argh) and my DMT8C (which is what I now use to lap my stones) to rip off a lot of steel for repairing an edge or rebevelling. After that it's on to the india stone, from there maybe my DMT1200 or another stone that is my favorite finisher. Trust me, when you realize how easy it is to hone a kitchen knife to a level of smoothness that makes it difficult to cut into the skin of nightshade fruits (chiles, tomatos) then you realize all those fancy higher-end hones don't have much practical use for most kitchen cutlery.

I took a culinary student's inherited cutlery kit (brother was apparently involved in butchery) and layed into it with ferocity. Big 'ole scimitar, a VG-10 Deba, all sorts of blades. Man, it was a blast. Almost the opposite of open razor honing. Two very different kinds of sharpening. All I needed was a few stones, and after the major metal removal the brunt of the work was a cheap india stone. Lapping the aluminum oxide was done carefully with a diamond encrusted tower-grater type cheap sharpener (neither of the DMTs). All in all about six sharpeners including the lappers, but really only 3-4 would be needed for the chore.

Using naniwa SSs for cutlery is a definite no-go, says I. And yes, I've used cutlery on Norton's 4k (mine is cursed so used it for major edge reshaping/repair) so I know what I'm talking about. Use the right tool for the task.

Excellent, thanks for that. Ideally I wouldn't want to have to get so many hones just for the knives, I'll take a look later on to see what are my options.