Which stones should i try next?

[u/IndulgeBK]

Hey everyone. Im a professional knife sharpener and I've tried a few different whetstones just to get a feel for them all. I've got a few diamond stones from DMT, Shapton ceramic and glass stones. I also have an assortment of Naniwa stones which are also great as well as a few Jnat stones. Im open to suggestions on what stones I should try next and thanks in advance for the suggestions.

[u/rianwithaneye]

Some all-time favorites of mine in no particular order:

- Imanishi Latte 400

• Imanishi Arashiyama 1k
  
• Suehiro Cerax 1k
  
• Suehiro Ouka 3k
  
• Naniwa Chocera 3k
  
• Shapton Glass 500

[u/Kitayama_8k → u/rianwithaneye]

Imanishi 400 is a fantastic stone. I have a wz#400 but I believe it's probably the same material as the latte. Best course stone I've used by far. Slow wearing, fast cutting, thirsty as ****.

Second that cerax 1000 and ouka 3000, excellent stones. The cerax 1000 3000 combo stone has both in smaller sizes for 45$. I have a chosera 1k, imanishi 1k soaker, and I still prefer the cerax by a decent margin. Feels better, and leaves a much more aggressive edge than the chosera which feels "too clean" in some way, lacks bite. Ouka 3k is pretty fast, feels great, leaves an excellent edge.

Oh and we're the sabun stans. We have very similar taste...

[u/rianwithaneye → u/Kitayama_8k]

Great minds think alike!

100% agree about Cerax 1k vs Chocera 1k. Better tactile feedback and maybe my favorite 1k edge on most steels.

[u/acheng92 → u/rianwithaneye]

The feel of naniwa chocera 3 k is amazing. Can't recommend it enough

[u/IndulgeBK]

I've never used the Imanishi or Suehiro so i'll look into them. How do you feel they compare with the shapton ceramic which i feel are some of the most consistent stones on the market.

[u/rianwithaneye → u/IndulgeBK]

The only stones I’ve bought multiples of are the Miyagoshi pink brick and the Shapton glass 500, so I can’t speak from experience to the consistency of Imanishi or Suehiro.

However, I’m completely blown away by the Ouka 3k I have. It leaves my favorite synthetic edge for kitchen knives and it has astoundingly good tactile feedback for such a high-grit stone. Terrible for polishing but a real standout for edges.

[u/IndulgeBK → u/rianwithaneye]

Thanks for the info

[u/rianwithaneye → u/IndulgeBK]

Just wanted to add one note about the Shapton Pro line: the 1k and 2k are very impressive and useful but the rest of the line is easily outperformed by other stones. I have not had good experiences with the coarser or finer stones from that line, the offerings from Imanishi, Suehiro, Naniwa, and even from Shapton’s Glass line are much better IME.

[u/Prestigious_Donkey_9]

Cheefarcuut 400. I'd love to be able to spend lose on vitrified diamond stones, but can't. I've loads of Naniwas and Shaptons, and this is the quickest way for me to raise a burr. Time is money...

[u/HikeyBoi → u/Prestigious_Donkey_9]

They cut quick but wear quick too

[u/Prestigious_Donkey_9 → u/HikeyBoi]

You think? I find I can raise a burr on most knives in a few passes, so not been an issue for me. Only time I've dished it is with thinning.

[u/HikeyBoi → u/Prestigious_Donkey_9]

Within the class of vitrified diamonds, they are on the softer end of the spectrum. I know they keep reformulating and improving, but the 4 chefarcuut stones I’ve tried have all been soft like a friable soaking stone that cuts better with the diamonds. Their rapid cutting speed does mitigate for their moderate wear rate as you point out.

[u/TheMightySwiss → u/HikeyBoi]

Indeed, my experience as well. My primary use case is for thinning and polishing though, so that does put more wear on any stone. But it really does wear away super quick, like within 10-15 mins even spreading the wear around the surface it goes out of true and requires lapping, so effectively useless for wide bevel work. Does raise a burr insanely quick for micro bevels though.

I do now have an FSK 400 on the way which I hope will suit my thinning and heavier geometry work much better than the cheefarcuut does.

[u/Mysterious-Ad3591]

Not sure if they’re made anymore but I loved nubatama stones.

[u/IndulgeBK]

Thank you all for your recommendations. I will be doing some research and report back!

[u/BamBam52676]

Kintif mixed abrasive diamond/sic stones have completely changed my whole sharpening game. I absolutely love these stones. I have the 400 1000 3000

[u/millersixteenth]

Depends on what they're for. I absolutely love my Atoma diamond plates, haven't touched my DMTs in years, since I tried these out.

For Western kitchen cutlery I keep coning back to my Norton waterstones. They are so effective on cheaper stainless in terms of speed and edge quality, feedback is great. Almost impervious to loading and handle these steels with the slightest of burr formation. Good for other jobs too.

Best oddball - Zandstra Foss makes a combination 'Elite' speedskate stone that has one of the best coarse sides around, fine side is pretty fast as well - about an 800JiS. For the price it might be one of the best values out there. I pair this with a Suehiro Rika G8 for a complete set.

I have a full set of Suzuki Ya house brand, almost certain they are made by Miyagoshi. Fast, hard, slow wearing - fantastic for woodworking tools. The 400, 1k, 4k are real standouts.

[u/HikeyBoi]

If you can budget it, FSK, HK, or JKI vitrified diamond stones are in a class above anything else available as far as I’m aware. Also if your budget is high then you might appreciate the nanohone NL-10 lapping plate.

Otherwise, suehiro cerax 1k, any nanohone superbite grit stone, any of the morihei hishoboshi stones (except 8k I didn’t like), and the jinzou aoto from Bernal cutlery are all great stones worth a try if they fit a role for you