Where to buy combination whetstone for knife sharpening?

[slowtyper]

Is a combination stone necessary or is one grit good enough for sharpening knifes for home use?

My dad actually has one sharpening stone but I don't know what grit and I believe its the same on both sides. I was thinking about taking his but I might just buy a new one if a combination stone is much better.

So where should I get one and how much are they?

[duckdown]

i bought mine from the same place i bought my knife, JCF online, but it is not combination. I have 2 seperate stones..

http://japanesechefsknife.com/HowToSharpen.html
http://japanesechefsknife.com/HowToSharpen2.html


oh look they have combination stone now http://japanesechefsknife.com/WhetStonesForSale.html

they are a very reliable seller and reccomend Koki 100%... all of my transactions with him have been very smooth and exactly as ordered..shipping is fast & affordable and he is knowledgeable about items and even for comparing 1 item vs. another

good luck

[velomane]

Don't forget about Lee Valley Hardware.

I'd consider one of the Norton combos if I were you, specifically,the 1000/4000 which is here.

There's also this Japanese water stone.

Mike

[tsatsa]

Don't forget about Lee Valley Hardware.

I'd consider one of the Norton combos if I were you, specifically,the 1000/4000 which is here.

There's also this Japanese water stone.

Mike

I got one these 1000/4000 one from Lee Valley and quite happy with it.

[Keelie]

i bought mine from the same place i bought my knife, JCF online, but it is not combination. I have 2 seperate stones..

http://japanesechefsknife.com/HowToSharpen.html
http://japanesechefsknife.com/HowToSharpen2.html


oh look they have combination stone now http://japanesechefsknife.com/WhetStonesForSale.html

they are a very reliable seller and reccomend Koki 100%... all of my transactions with him have been very smooth and exactly as ordered..shipping is fast & affordable and he is knowledgeable about items and even for comparing 1 item vs. another

good luck

What is the location?

[jayt90]

What is the location?

This is email order from Japan.
The prices and service are good, and the selection of really good knives is superb. Japanese postal rates put U.S. and Canada to shame.

What did you buy Duckdown?

[jayt90]

I got one these 1000/4000 one from Lee Valley and quite happy with it.

Lee Valley is a good source of sharpening stones, strops, jigs, steels, and whatever you might need to keep a good edge. There is always someone there who can advise.
Their knife selection is eclectic: Sabatier, Grohmann, and one or two Japanese blades, all of them well chosen.

[Keelie]

This is email order from Japan.
The prices and service are good, and the selection of really good knives is superb. Japanese postal rates put U.S. and Canada to shame.

What did you buy Duckdown?

So then it wont cost as much as it would to order from the states?

[aser]

So then it wont cost as much as it would to order from the states?

They charge $7 flat fee shipping for any amount you order, pretty good deal. If you want to avoid a customs hit, you can ask them to list the item as a gift w/ a lower value ($10 is good). Only bad thing is if you get insurance on your package, you're only insured up to the value of your declaration.

Lee Valley is your best bet for a local source. Ebay is also a good source of whetstones if you know specifically which brands you're looking for.

Better question is, what type of knife do you have? Japanese? German? It'll influence your stone purchasing decision.

Ideally you would want a minimum of 2 grits, the more the better obviously. You do not need anything beyond 2000 grit for a German knife. Japanese knives you can get past 10,000 grit because the harder steel can retain a finer edge.

[slowtyper]

I have german Henckel. Thanks for the grit recommendations. Any specific brands I should look for on ebay?

[slowtyper]

I have german Henckel. Thanks for the grit recommendations. Any specific brands I should look for on ebay?

BTW does anyone have a pic of what a properly sharpened edge should look like? I just got a knife back from sharpening and the blade looks very different now from the factory edge. Factory edge about 1 mm of the blade looks to be sharpened whereas now about 1cm of the blade looks sharpened (not quite smooth but kind of smudgy....)

As you can tell I'm not that experienced with knives, but I did get my knife sharpened once before somewhere else and the edge did not look like this (it also wasn't very sharp...this knife is now pretty sharp compared to before).

[aser]

Depends on the current level of damage on your knife.

If it's really dull, you need to start with a rough stone, around 500 grit. This stone will rarely be used if you maintain a regular sharpening routine. It can also be used to repair chips or broken tips on your knife.

The most used stone will be a 1000 grit. This will be a medium grit that helps to prepare a solid edge foundation. Your knife will be usable after this, but for a really sharp edge you should use a finer stone to finish.

A 2000 grit stone will help refine the edge to give it the sharpness you're looking for. You can test for sharpness but slicing on newspaper. If it goes through cleanly, then you've done a good job. If it doesn't or only slices midway then catches, you need to rehit the stones.

There is a learning process involved but once you've grasped it, it is extremely rewarding. You kinda feel "hunter gatherer" like, ready to take on the world w/ your sharp blade.

Most generic combination stone you buy at Canadian tire and such are far too rough to maintain a smooth edge. They're usually oil stones that are far messier to use than waterstones.

There are lots of incorrect information on sharpening, here are some good videos to learn from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZj0I3mpBGg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eklOHO5oT0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y4Ihh0Va38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5KCuriLZS0

http://korin.com/Learn/Sharpening

[aser]

As for brands, the popular ones are Shapton, King, Naniwa, Bester.

King is the most affordable, Naniwa and Shapton the more high end.

The stones listed by duckdown are higher grit, aimed at Japanaese blades. Don't bother going above 2000 w/ a German Henckel.

To confuse you even more, American stone ratings are different than Japanese. The stones I listed above are all Japanese.

[miss_swan]

In addition to the aforementioned info ... there's always www.paulsfinest.com ... I don't work there but I know they have lots of stuff (last time I checked).

[slowtyper]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge aser and everyone else as well.