Thread: What Shapton stones should I purchase?

i was literally in the same boat, and finally pulled the trigger last week. i already have a chosera 1k, so i went for the chosera 600 and 3000. then i went for the shapton 5k and 8k. the shapton japanese versions look to be identical to the shapton pro hones, at a better price point. i have not used them yet, but they look quite nice. just be careful, i also added a nakayama kiita and a labeled escher.

Are there advantages or disadvantages in choosing a Nanima combination 3000/8000 over the separate Naniwa Superstone 3000 and 8000?

I'm not sure. Looks like a nice convenience as in the 4K/8K Norton. Maybe Glen has tried it. I went with the individual stones. They should be here in the next day or so.

Unless you are holding the hone in your hand, I consider a disadvantage of a two sided hone to be that the underside gets dirty by sitting on whatever you are using to hold it. However, this was much more of an issue when a lot of people were doing pyramids and regularly switching back and forth between the two sides.

Just from a matter of personal taste, I prefer single grit hones. I can prep the next hone in the water tank while I'm using the other one.

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

Are there advantages or disadvantages in choosing a Nanima combination 3000/8000 over the separate Naniwa Superstone 3000 and 8000?

Some hones have different amounts of expansion as they absorb water. Two hones stuck together may help by making the hone thicker or may just add complexity to the issue. I glued my Naniwa 8k to a piece of marble to control warping. Wouldn't have done that with a combo stone.

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

Are there advantages or disadvantages in choosing a Nanima combination 3000/8000 over the separate Naniwa Superstone 3000 and 8000?

Originally Posted by karlej

I'm not sure. Looks like a nice convenience as in the 4K/8K Norton. Maybe Glen has tried it. I went with the individual stones. They should be here in the next day or so.

I had the old Henckels (Naniwa SS hones) 3/8 combo for a bit, that was a well designed setup it had all the advantages of the combo hones and none of the disadvantages because of the way the holder worked.. They had the two hones attached with a piece of Plexi in between them so it eliminated any warping issues and the way it fit in the holder while honing kept the bottom stone clean

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/hencke...-stone-p116584

I have the separates now and they work fine

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I had the old Henckels (Naniwa SS hones) 3/8 combo for a bit, that was a well designed setup it had all the advantages of the combo hones and none of the disadvantages because of the way the holder worked.. They had the two hones attached with a piece of Plexi in between them so it eliminated any warping issues and the way it fit in the holder while honing kept the bottom stone clean

Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Pro 3000/8000 Combination Japanese Water Stone, 7 x 3 x 1.25-inch | cutleryandmore.com

I have the separates now and they work fine

I never bothered trying that one, but was very impressed with the simple and brilliant design. It solves both of the issues described just above in my and Bluesman's posts.

Has anyone tried the Shapton glass 1k,3k,6k -> Jnats as a progression ? Just a minimalist thought

The 3 Naniwa stones arrived today. I was pleasantly surprised at how flat they were right out of the box. It took little time to tune them up. I think I remember the Norton stones being a lot more work. I have a couple of blades on my bench almost ready for the hones. Looking forward to trying them out.

I wasn't a fan of the Shapton glass stones but I'm very happy with the set of Ceramic Pro stones. I've got the 1k, 2k, 5k 8k and 12k. I've had then for 4 or 5 years now and wouldn't use anything else.