Sharpening stones

[ColinSmith]

Alright so I want to get a set of sharpening stones without breaking the bank. I know I could spend $100-$500 on a single stone to make my knives "scary sharp" but for my applications, it's not really necessary. As much as I would like to get the nicest set though and cut hair width slices of tomato, I don't need it. What are some recommendations? Things to specifically avoid? Natural or manufactured? Even the articles where they talk about "budget" stones they're still in the $100 range for a single two sided stone. And Amazon has some sets but some of them just seem too cheap to be truly worth it. I prefer Japanese style knives, although I'm working on the cheaper side. Besides steel construction, patience while sharpening will basically turn a $20 knife razor sharp. Thanks in advance!!

[weinoo]

2 hours ago, ColinSmith said:

, patience while sharpening will basically turn a $20 knife razor sharp. Thanks in advance!!

Doesn't this answer your question?  I don't think it's how much you spend on the stone necessarily, but your skill in using it, that will turn and keep your knives as sharp as you want them to be.

 

Many here, myself included, have had excellent results with the Edge Pro system; in my case, it turns my lack of skill using a stone into a no-brainer. 

 

And there are plenty of topics and threads which address your question.

 

 

[Porthos]

What weinoo said. I am a die-hard fan of Edge-Pro.

 

[ColinSmith]

I was saying that what knife or knife style you're using doesn't really matter that much. Meanwhile there's manufactured and natural stones. Diamond topped. Different brands. The questions I did want to start a discussion about. I will look into edge pro though. 

[Porthos]

Threads and Tutorials of interest.

 

Knife Maintenance adn Sharpening

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/139988-best-way-to-sharpen-a-knife/

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/104022-knife-sharpening-systems-edgepro-apex/

 

You can also try googling "egullet sharpening stones"

[dcarch]

Unless you are a sushi chef or a knife hobbyist, there is no need to spend a great deal of money for kitchen knives. 

It's not practical to have "scary sharp" knives in the kitchen, It's good to have "very sharp" knives in the kitchen.

It's expensive, time consuming and lots skills to achieve "scary sharp knives.

Anyone can sharpen very sharp knives. It should not be expensive and requires a minimal amount of skills.

 

A $10 aluminum oxide two-sided stone, and a few sheets of fine grit  wet/dry silicone carbide sand paper for $5.00 will get you knives sharp enough to shave paper.

 

dcarch

 

[KennethT]

Many years ago (long before I heard of either Edge Pro or eGullet) I bought one of those two sided stones in a restaurant supply store - it came with a plastic holder/case with suction cup feet so it doesn't slide, and it is made to sit in a bath of mineral oil.  it was really cheap and works well, as long as you try to maintain the knife's angle when you use it - that's where the Edge Pro shines - keeping the angle consistent.  If you get one of those stones and it doesn't come with the plastic case/mineral oil bath, you can always soak it in water and then lay it on the counter on top of a folded damp towel, which will keep it from sliding.  As you sharpen, keep putting some water on teh surface of the stone using your fingers so there is always a small "puddle" on top of the stone which will help lubricate and remove metal filings as you go.

[paulraphael]

I think having very sharp knives in the kitchen is completely reasonable, as long as you're willing to do the maintenance. Among my gaggle of knives I keep three of them extremely sharp: gyuto, slicing knife (sujihiki), and pairing knife. The last two are not super high end knives, but hold their edges for a long time, because the pairing knife doesn't get used against a cutting board and the slicing knife doesn't get used often at all. The gyuto I have to touch up often. It's my main knife, gets used every day on a cutting board, and I like it sharp like a straight razor. It makes a difference that I'm willing to put a bit of effort into.

 

Its level of sharpness requires at least three stones, up to a very fine-grit polishing stone (6000 to 10000 grit). Most touch ups are just with the polishing stone or with a strop.

 

If that's more than you're intersted in, the good news is that you can get kinda close to this level of performance with just a single stone, and very close with a two-sided combination stone. For one-stone sharpening look for something 1200 to 2000 grit. I have a Bester 1200 in this grit range. It's the one stone I use on my European knives and it leaves an aggressive, toothy edge that cuts everything well (although not with a lot of refinement). And it's fast to use. For a combination stone people love the King 1000/6000, which you can get on Amazon for under $30. I haven't used it but it's definitely worth a look. 

 

Edited to add: I learned how to sharpen using wet/dry sandpaper, but like most people gave it up for stones. It's false economy, because the paper loads up so fast and has to be discarded. In my 12 years or so of sharpening on stones I've only worn out a couple of them.

Edited February 11, 2018 by paulraphael (log)