How to choose a sharpening stone, whetstone, ceramic, diamond + Grit Size

How to choose a sharpening stone or Whetstone? What whetstone Grit size do you use?

In this video, I will be explaining de differences between whetstone/sharpening stone. I will cover the Diamond stone, Whetstone, Soaking Stone, and the Ceramic stones.

🛒S H O P:
My Recommendation:
Amazon NA:

Amazon EU:

Stones used in the video,

I got the Shapton glass for free, but I do recommend the ''Ha No Kuromaku or also called Shapton Pro Ceramic'' over the Shapton Glass and Naniwa/Chosera Pro:

Soaking/water/whetstone:

N O T E S: In this video, I will be covering the majority of the sharpening stones, also called whetstones, soaking stones, etc. There is a wide variety of whetstones around there. While I have not tried them all, I tried the most popular ones like the Shapton, Naniwa, Chosera, Kings, and more.

FULL DISCLOSURE
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Thank you for your support :)

★ F O L L O W ChefPanko 😊

[chefpanko]

The sharpening/ whetstones used in the video can be bought here:
(needs pre- sharpening in order to reach the specified grit they are pretty coarse out of the box)

Soaking/water/whetstone: AliExpress store closed (while the stones I ordered had the correct grit rating, the stone came damaged on the sides/ slightly chipped during shipping)

Note: I got the Shapton glass for free, but I do recommend the Ha No Kuromaku or also called Shapton Pro Ceramic over the Shapton Glass and Naniwa/Chosera Pro.

FULL DISCLOSURE
If you purchase from these links I get a small commission that goes towards supporting the channel.
Thank you for your support :)

★ F O L L O W ChefPanko 😊

[arjun._.bbC]

Simple, quick and immensely informative. Perfect for a beginner like me. Thank you.

[kozagong]

No bullshit, every sentence carries information and not one sentence is redundant. Quality content right here.

[paulwary]

Great video. But why would you buy a whetstone to save money, then buy an expensive diamond stone to flatten it with?

[connorcookbird]

This was one of the best and most informative "how to choose" sharpening stone videos I have seen. thank you for making the video. I have been a little hesitant this past week to start sharpening but now I feel closer than ever to feeling ready to start.

[shellhottie]

Very informative. Went into a deep dive on this. Bought my bf new knives for Christmas, haven't used them because we haven't bought a wet stone and his birthday is coming around...it was very intriguing to learn this. Now understood why my bf didn't want to use them before.

[luciusirving]

Putting 1/3rd of a corundum stone into a peanut butter lid, getting a makeshift axe puck, reduces the need to flatten it.

This idea came from another Youtuber; I agree with putting wet cloth in between your lid and your piece of whetstone.

[zerofivetwelve]

I only use 1000 and 2000. Thats enough to make my knife sharp enough. Sometimes i start with 800 and finish it with 6000 as final touch but thats seldom i do so.

[stevekitella]

Soaking stones aren't that complicated! Keep them wet! For me the best stone for getting a great edge is the 1000/6000 combo stone. This one stone will give you very sharp edges. For repair of chips out dented edges I have a 240/800, to take off metal fast. And for polishing I have a 5000/10000 stone. Finally a strop to get that razor edge. I also have a leveling stone. This is all you'll ever need for most knives and scissors. Any combination of these will work, but the main thing is have a mixed variety to cover all issues you'll run into. If your knives are maintained after each use ( a honing steel or ceramic rod) you'll need to sharpen less often. If you want a basic all around stone and your knives are in good condition the 1000/6000 and a strop are all you'll need. Don't buy the very costly stones, . I haven't sent more than$26 cdn on any of my stones! They all are good quality!

[zoranmatkovic]

Thank you chief! I am hardly waiting for your presentation of knife sharpening. Best regards.

[MB-wznn]

Chef Panko, I like that you start with your disclosure and in your description notes. As for the content, it is detailed and addressed the variety of issues and different characteristics among the sharpening stones. I like that you stress that skill is much more important as to the brand or type of stones and that it takes time and practice to gain experience and improve sharpening skills. Thank you and I hope your business get back to re opening soon.

[silverazorx]

Im very happy to see you care more for the technique than the brand/product itslef and that you included the mantainance of the stones many people does not realize o even think that the stones need to be flat, while i dont do it very often i point this as often as possible.


Also very good guideline on the use of every grit range, i know people that wanted to repair a blade with a 1000 grit stone (although possible if you really really really want to) for future videos you may want to include what grit is best for each use, like 600/800 to cutting or trimming beef, 1000 for general purpose and 4000+ to fillet fish somethig among those lines based on your experience.


Your strop looks really cool, i went the DIY route for my strop, works really well for a $5 (in materials) strop. What compound do you use? i know that not all brands use the same grit/color for their compound but in general black compound is the coarsest.


Nice video as always.

[thewalnutwoodworker]

I am a big fan of a Norton india stone and following up with Arkansas stones and a strop.

[damiancanteros]

7:10 I feel identified when you say "for whatever reason" :-D

[FiatIsTheft]

Damn, this guy knows what he’s talking about. Thank you so much!

[egretsflight]

This video really helped me thank you. I bought a shun kitchen knife and they sold it with a whetstone block of 400 but i had no clue how to use it. It didnt seem to sharpen my other kitchen knives so i was trying to find out what i was doing wrong.

[uratasan]

Great info, quick and just what I needed. Thank you 🙏

[justinsane]

let me make it easy-Suehiro debato MD line. they are fantastic stones. feel great, splash and go, cut well, cant ask for more.

[kaganboyle]

Why isn't this the most viewed?! Answered so many questions without bogging it down with tertiary information. Thank you!

[TheWatcher]

Ceramic sharpening stones for the win!