Thread: Ceramic bench stones?

Has anyone tried these? I notice that Spyderco has a 2.5" x8" stone that they list as "ultrafine" grit, but I can't find any firm numbers on their site. These are significantly cheaper than the 8-12,000 grit waterstones out there and would probably work for someone like me who only goes to the stone rarely.

thanks,
Dave

I have no experience with the Spyderco bench stones, but I'd try to email them before investing in that. It may be cheaper because their definition of an ultrafine grit isn't the same as ours.

I am a huge fan of Spyderco. I have many of their knives and the Sharpmaker with the UF stones for sharpening them.

However, a search of their forum turned up that the UF stones' grit is only "equivalent" to ~4-6K. So, unfortunately, this may still be too coarse. I'm new to straight razor shaving (as the post count shows ), so hopefully others will qualify/quantify this inofrmation as it pertains to straight razor honing.

Originally Posted by xChris

I am a huge fan of Spyderco. I have many of their knives and the Sharpmaker with the UF stones for sharpening them.

However, a search of their forum turned up that the UF stones' grit is only "equivalent" to ~4-6K. So, unfortunately, this may still be too coarse. I'm new to straight razor shaving (as the post count shows ), so hopefully others will qualify/quantify this inofrmation as it pertains to straight razor honing.

Try the Woodcarving Store on-line ..... they have 4" and 8" lengths available in 800 and 8000 grit equivalents. I don't recommend going from 800 grit directly to 8000 grit without various intermediate stones, but the 8000 ceramic stone I have from them is very nice. It's 8"x2"x1/2" ....

For razors, many of us find the Norton waterstone series to be quite good. The stone of choice is the combination stone of 4000/8000 in a two-inch, or three-inch width.

thanks all. I already have a 6000 grit waterstone that I used for my woodworking blades. I was just hoping to find something in the 10-12k range that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Also, something that isn't so messy.

I may just have to try the 12k from woodcraft.

Dave

I just got this from Spyderco and thought that I'd leave it here for the sake of completeness.

I wrote Spyderco tech support to ask what the ultrafine grit size was in comparison to japanese waterstones. Here is their response:

"The Ultra Fine Bench stone has a comparable grit of 2000, Fine is 1800 and Medium is 600.

Customer Service
Warranty & Repair
Team Spyderco"

Try japanwoodworking.com they have all kinds of stones for a reasonable price.

Bill Watkins

The 12000 Chinese natural waterstone is excellent. It is a rather slow cutting stone but it really gives a nice edge.

I have the Spyderco ceramic hones and two things you might want to pay attention to. The corners need to be knocked down with sandpaper. If you don't then the edges can chip the razors bevel, instantly.

The second thing is that you should lap the ceramic stone to knock down the high points of grit on the hone. They also can chip the edge of a razor.

I cannot compare them with any other hone yet. I need to hone a few more razors with them first.

Just my two cents,