Thread: Cheaper alternative to Norton?

you can get a King waterstone in 8k for less if you don't need the 4k side. i already had a mid-grit stone, so i just bought the king as it was cheaper than a norton 8k.
Buy Combination Waterstone, 7-1/4" x 2-1/2" x 1" 1200/8000, Fast Cutting

the flip side is also good for bevel work. follow the link in my sig to see it in action.


disclaimer: the king stone was cheaper but it was NOT flat. i had to lap the hell out of it. if you want a cheap stone that is flat and works well, check out the spyderco ultrafine ceramic

Anyone else has bad experience with the orange/brown dyed synthetic japanese hones? Mine stains black scales badly.

I use the King 1000/6000 and think it is a great synthetic stone. Haven't noticed the staining issue that you have, Sparq. I rate the King 1000 better than the Norton 1000, too, by the way - although I'm sure that many others will have an opposite opinion.

Regards,
Neil

This isn't in EU, but they have a pocket-sized 8k for U.S.$25. I've used it and it works ok on razors once you break it in. It's the tan polka-dot hone in my avatar. There is also a 1200 in the same size (the green one in my avatar). I did a review on the W4EE 8k recently.

EDIT: From Woodcraft there is this set of 3 in 2"x6" for U.S. $60, on clearance sale; 600, 1200, and 8k.

I was looking around a bit ago.. doing the exact same thing, looking for a cheap alternative to a Norton... and I think that I ran across mention of that brand in a culinary forum. They were mainly mentioning a couple of the stones as a part of a grit progression--not saying anything other about them, bad or good-- so I'd think that it is an ok stone.