Norton 24336 Japanese-Style Combination Waterstone 4000/8000 Grit, 8-Inch by 3-Inch by 1-Inch

• Waterstone to create abrasive slurry for effective sharpening with less pressure than an oilstone requires
• Combination stone has 4000 grit on one face for maintaining and refining and 8000 grit on the opposite face for polishing steel cutting edges
• 1 x 8 x 3 inch (H x W x D) size is suitable for use as a bench stone for knives and tools
• Cleans up easily with water as lubricant instead of oil
• Blue plastic hinged box with no-slip rubber feet can be used as holder for the stone during sharpening

I like these stones, though like all water stones, they are quite soft, and require frequent flattening. The problem I had was that after soaking in water for awhile, my combination stone separated at the adhesive that held the two different grit stones together. They still work as two separate stones, but they are now each quite thin, and I don't expect to get as much life out of them. I wish I'd just purchased two separate water stones. You might also want to check out the Shapton stones. They are expensive, but are much harder than Norton or Japanese water stones, and so don't groove so quickly.

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Excellent, I use this stone to sharpen my straight razor. I bought the straight razor at an antique shop which is where you can find the better ones made out of German material. brought it home used the 4000 then the 8000 which really gets close to a mirror finish, then stropped before using it. Big difference before and after the stone touched the blade. I'll reccomend this to anyone, especially for those who have the straight razor. The width of this stone is perfect for the blade and you can easily put it away after your done.

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I use the Japanese style stones to sharpen all my knives, as well as straight razors I shave with. They are a little different than the standard stones, but if you want a truely 'razor sharp' blade, this is the only way to get it. Many people say, "my knife will shave hairs." Yes, but can it do it without razor burn? My kitchen knife will shave hairs off my arm, but that doesnt mean Id be willing to shave my face with that blade.

These stones need to be soaked in water prior to use. Only about 20 minutes. More than that can cause problems, they are not meant to be STORED in water. Too much soaking can lead to the stone degrading or the glue splitting the two sides apart as other reviewers mentioned.

This stone is meant to hone more than sharpen. That means you should ALREADY have a sharp knife before you use this stone. If your knife is dull, sharpen it by whatever method you would usually use, I personally use another Japanese water stone Steelex D1067 800-Grit Japanese Waterstone.

The 8000 grit side of this stone will polish the side of a blade to a true mirror finish if you wish. The edge gets the same, but obviously its harder to see. This level of finish causes the blade to be significantly sharper than a 'regular' sharp knife, plus it stays sharp longer and cuts smoother as well.

The only drawback to this type of stone is that they are softer and wear faster than other types. Thankfully, it can be made flat again by using 600-1000 grit sandpaper and a flat surface to rub the stone on. So I find it more useful as I can ensure my stone is always flat that way. It is not nearly as easy to re-flatten a traditional whetstone.

The price for this stone seemed fairly typical of what I have seen at other sellers. I have Amazon Prime membership so when I figured in the free shipping, it made Amazon.com the best place to purchase by a long shot.

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All the reviews are accurate, this is a good stone.

I just want to point out that, as some of the other reviews mentioned, the stone will not arrive perfectly flat. If you are going to use it on a straight razor, or other ultra sharp blades, this is critical. Uneven stones will mess up your cutting bevel.

Mine had to be re-flattened on both 4000 and 8000 sides, wasn't even close. You don't sacrifice much material but I feel something that is meant for sharpening should be ready to sharpen when you purchase it new.

So if your like me, and not an experienced razor sharpener, do your research on a flattening method.

I went ahead and purchased the Norton flattening stone after the fact. I should just bought the whole set it would have saved some cash.

So if your after a fine honing stone, the 4000/8000 works great but be sure to pick up a flattening stone and Prep (Nagura) Stone.

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These are, literally, Norton engineered stones: therefore different from more conventional Japanese waterstones in look and feel. As a dedicated straight razor combo stone it does wear flat. The 8000 side does not require prolonged soaking nor a slur. This, combined with a 3" width, makes for a convenient razor stone. This combo is the only stone needed for razor maintenance. (The often recommended twice yearly honing of a razor is inadequate.) Shopping around may save you a few dollars.

Wet 320 wetordry sandpaper on a flat (counter) surface can be substituted for a flattening stone. This can be done at each sharpening, and does readily produce a slur.