Thread: Any experience with Suehiro Gokumyo Hones?

Is anybody familiar with the Suehiro Gokumyo line of ceramic whetstones? I purchased the 20k grit stone as a fine finisher and was so impressed with them that I purchased 10 others. The premier Gokumyo only come in 10k, 15k, and 20k; so I will have all of them. In addition I bought the Suehiro Gokumyo-Taiga line, from 300 grit to 1500 grit. I also got the Gokumyo Debabo 2000 and 6000. They have an intriguing stone known as the Ryu, which is a dual density of the same grit. I got one in 1k grit to try it out, but if the stones are like my 20k stones, I think I may have found a hone that beats out the choseras. Now I'm not putting down the choseras: I have the entire set of them and have been honing on them for years with a lot of satisfaction, but I wanted to try something different.

The Suehiro's are actually more expensive than the Choseras, if you can believe that; but I was so impressed with the one stone I purchased 10 Suehiros. They require a slightly different technique, but they have an amazing feel to them, and they leave a polished edge that "pops" hair upon contact; it's really amazing. If anybody has significant experience with these stones I'd love to hear your feedback. The back story I got on the company was that they created the stones essentially on a dare or something.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you where I purchased them from, but it was a place in Japan. They gave me a great discount and were a joy to work with.

I've been honing since my grandfather taught me when I was 12, and it seems like the synthetic stones just keep getting better and better. I love, and rely on my choseras, but I must admit, I can't wait to get my honing hands on these Suehiros!!!!