Naniwa Pro 1000 #shorts

You know, there's a reason why we always recommend the #1000 grit stone. While it might not be as flashy as 3000, 5000, or even 10,000 grit stones, if you can't make it sharp on one of these, a finer stone won't help!

Stone seen here : Naniwa Pro #1000

[timidb]

When I started learning, all I had was a 600 grit

I got so good with it that I could make knives shaving sharp with basically anything but high grit stones

[vidrald]

As a butcher I sharpen my carbonsteel deboning knives on a 800-1200 grit wet belt sander and finish off the burr on a soft (when new) polish wheel.
Takes 25 secs to sharpen a knife to shaving sharp and just one millisecond to dull it against a pork tooth.

[mr.peavey]

The guitar reference felt like a personal attack

[davezhu]

''Lemme shave my arm hair''
Bleed to death

[caseyshannon]

I just use the mystery grit stone that was my great grandfather's and an old leather belt, actually works pretty damn well

[silencerbear]

I love a 400 grit finish on knives I actually use. It’s toothy and I think it cuts better on plastic or tough fabric ropes. You could live your whole life with a 400 and 1000 grit diamond set.

[samuels]

The important thing is that you are zeroing in on a target, each further stone removes less material, which is the whole reason for using the lower grit stone. If you skip forward too far you'll be sharpening for an hour to complete one minute's work.

[duethyme]

When I first started out I used my 400-600 combo set religiously. Fast forward 8 years, now I have up to 6000 grit. I’d typically get a nice edge using the 1000 and use the higher grits to get the coveted “mirror finish”. I’ve found that doing it this way retains a razor edge for long time with the occasional usage of a honing steel. And I’d only use the 400 on extremely dull blades. To reiterate, I work in a busy NYC resturaunt and I can say first hand from experience the edge holds up for a good week of service before I notice any dulling. That’s it lol I’ll get off my soapbox but I hope you guys can get some perspective from my short Ted talk 😊

[stephanes]

So true! There's no point in struggling with ultra-fine stones until you've perfected the technique... If you don't, you'll end up polishing the faces with a rough edge!
And once you've got the hang of it, you'll realise that you can get crazy sharp edges without going beyond grit #1000 (or even lower)... Provided you don't forget the stroping.

In fact, if you're not looking for exceptional polish, ultra-fine stones are of little use. And when it comes to kitchen knives, I personally think it's better to have a slightly aggressive cutting edge, with some bite in it... With an #800 or #1000 stone, you get a very effective cutting edge, with micro-tooths that are very well suited to cutting food.

[BlackHoleForge]

As a blacksmith I find your opinion to be very true. If you don't make the edge level and decide to move up, all you are doing is polishing the hills and leaving uneven vallies.

[EDCandLace]

320 and 1000 is the only two stones a newbie should have to start. A well done 1000g edge is easily capable of whittling hair. I tell people that until they are efficient on the 320 there is zero need to progress in grit. I don't suggest lower then 320 to start just for the fact 320 still cuts pretty quickly but not quickly enough to get them trouble to quick. Flat out if it ain't sharp off the lower grit stones then going up in grit only equals refining a dull edge. Once you learn to form a well formed apex on the more course stones then you move up in grit.

[mndlessdrwer]

Splash-and-go stones are also my absolute favorite for sharpening because there's less time investment needed before you can begin sharpening, so it doesn't dampen enthusiasm in the same way that needing to wait 30 minutes to an hour for your stones to soak might. And they cut faster than oilstones, so you don't have to spend as long sharpening your knives to get them sharp. Oilstones are great to practice with, though, because they're slower at removing metal and have basically zero prep time. Arkansas oilstones and other natural oilstones are my favorite for recommending to people who are just learning how to sharpen their knives. A coarse Arkansas oilstone cuts about as fast as a 1000 grit whetstone, so it's very forgiving and can leave you with an edge that is plenty sharp enough for most needs. You can also buy relatively inexpensive bonded oilstones where two different grits have been epoxied together. This does mean that they'll begin cupping faster since you can't flip them over to use the other side, but the low cost is hard to beat. You'll want to flatten their surface every so often and you'll probably hear people say that you need a diamond lap for that. This is inaccurate. A cheap pane of relatively thick float glass (3/8" or thicker) and a sheet of coarse lapping film is more than adequate for the job and costs significantly less. Marble or granite simulant ceramic tiles are also suitable alternatives for float glass as they also have high requirements for flatness due to the gloss of their surface showing imperfections easily.

[gilmacdonald]

So true.... great advise!
I see and hear a lot of sharpening videos, great to hear from a no BS sharpener.
Gil the Sharpener
Master Canadian Sharpener

[GoldenJuice]

Tips for those who wants to start sharpening knives or knife if you only have one, the most important is how you start from low grit, the higher the grit imo it's just for polishing and refining the edge you made from the lower grit. Starts with either around 100 or 200 grits, this first step will take the most time if you want it to be really sharp, also technique and consistency is important. Practice makes perfect so don't worry about ruining your knife, it still can get sharp. Happy sharping for all of you

[NeevesKnives]

I would say maximize your results from a 300 grit stone, then you can worry about higher grits, you should be able to cleanly cut paper or paper towel with a properly sharpened 3 to 400 grit edge

[mr.wizbiz.]

That has to be one of the most satisfying ways to show sharpness

[NieroshaiTheSable]

I could've sworn the purpose of going up in grit gradually was to keep the surface smooth.

[sypoth]

The heavy lifters for sharpening are the lower grit sines, the higher grits only smooth and polish the edge from there.

[ohioknifelover]

I learned that when I started sharpening you should be able to shave hair with the lowest grit stone/hone you have and if you can then your technique is great, if not then you need to work on your angles until they improve

[floppycheese]

best explaination ever. Whats more is the higher up in grit you go, the more accurate you need to be as the margin for error is much smaller