Which Japanese whetstone is suitable for me?
Japanese water stones are known for their fast sharpening effect, whether for Japanese tools or European blades. These stones only work with water, never with oil!
Our range includes a variety of stones from various renowned manufacturers. Each manufacturer has its own strengths and weaknesses, so stones from different manufacturers are often needed for an optimal grinding set.
To make your selection easier, here is a brief overview:
- Matsunaga (KING and SUN TIGER): Known for traditional soft stones that quickly wash out dull grains and reveal new sharp grains. These stones need to be leveled more often.
- Suehiro (CERAX and SUEHIRO): Produces slightly harder stones that wear down more slowly than traditional Japanese water stones. The 8000 stone achieves the sharpest cutting edges and polished mirror surfaces of chisels.
- SHAPTON: Offers the hardest Japanese whetstones that stay flat for a long time and enable high material removal.
- NANIWA: Particularly strong in the area of fine stones in order to achieve highly polished surfaces.
What purposes are the stones suitable for?
- Rough work: Grit 120 to 400.
- Normal sharpening work: grit 700 to 2000.
- Fine honing and polishing: grit size 2000 and above.
In principle, you need three stones for the most important sharpening tasks: one for roughing, one for sharpening and one for honing. For occasional sharpening, a combination stone is often sufficient.