I would have given 5 stars if there had of been a small bottle that came with the kit that could be used to hold water for the stones. It holds up well IF you know how to use and care for it. Sharpening with a stone ( actually a series of stones ) is not natural. To use one you should readup on a couple of internet articles on knife sharpening. I use a low grit, say 600-800 to get the shape and bevel right and bring the edge down to a rough sharp. This is fine for an axe, but, not a knife. After the bevel and most of the dull edge has been ground down ( no light reflects off the cutting edge ) move to the 1000 grit stone. At 1000 grit you will remove a lot less material , but all you are after is to get the scratches off the bevels and refine the edge a little more. When the edge is sharp enough to cut notebook paper without snags it is time for the 6000 grit stone. WARNING, the 6000 grit stone is soft and you can gouge it out in a single stroke. Keep it wet so the metal shavings float on the surface instead of being ground into the stone and reducing the cutting power of some of the surface area. This is a polishing stone, not a sharpeniing stone. It polishes the edge you put on with the 1000 grit stone. It polishes the bevels to a near mirror edge as well as helping to remove the little wire edge that ends up on all sharpenings. Now strop the edge (fatigue the wire edge till it comes off), you will know when it is complete when you run a finger UP the bevel and do not feel a small lip at the top where the edge is located. If you still feel the edge then strop some more; in a pinch, you can even strop on the palm of your hand. Remember to strop both sides alternately till the wire edge is gone. Now back to the 6000 grit stone and with LIGHT pressure, refinish the edge again but stop short of putting another wire edge on the blade. The edge now should cut newspaper when only supported by one side. Just remember one rule, the higher the bevel angle the lower the "Feel" and fine cutting power of the edge in general and the lower the angle the sharper the blade will feel. There is a trade off with high bevel angles on an axe that will keep the axe sharp longer and the low angle of a knife where it will require sharpening more often.Now, wash off the stone surfaces and use an old cloth to scrup the surfaces. Get and use a Nagura stone to do a final cleaning and leveling of the 6000 grit side. Never use a Nagura stone on anything less than 6000 grit or you will eat it up and prematurely wear out the stone. Just keep in mind, the Nagura is for cleaning and trueing the 6000 and higher grit stones and should not be used as a sharpening stone itself. The second use for the Nagura stone is to create the sharpening "lather" needed to speed up the sharpening process. Place the stone under water and then to the work stone and act as if you are working on the edge. This process may need to be done 3 or 4 times. You will note a foam form on the top of your cutting edge mixed with a lot of water. Now sharpen your edge. You will get a faster and sharper knife.
Buy King 47506 1000/6000 Combination Grit Waterstone Now
These King Stones are legitimate Japanese Water Stones made in, you guessed it, Japan. They are extremely versitile and are the highest quality stones I have used. However, there are a few more good companies out there. Water stones are true to the craft of knife honing and sharpening and is a useful skill to teach yourself. I highly recommend watching virtuovice (YouTube Name) on YouTube for excellent tutorials on how to sharpen with stones.The lower grit stones like the 250 and 400 are great for taking out chips in the blades or reprofiling the edge to fit your needs or preferences. As a camper who beats on knifes and axes, I really need this benefit to take out those chips and these stones do so beautifully.
A good stone grit to breach the gab between the lower grits and the finishing stone is the 1000 grit. This will help smooth out the edge and give it some great sharpness. It also makes finishing the edge with a 3000 or 4000 grit stone an easier and less time-consuming step in the process. 6000 and 8000 grit stones are not needed at all in my opinion. Finally, you should use a leather strop with a green and black compound to really get a good edge.
Bottom Line and Reccommending Sharpening System:
1.) 250/1000 grit King Water Stone
2.) 3000 or 4000 grit King Stone
3.) Leather strop with compound
You only really need the 250, 1000, and 3000 (or 4000) grit stones with the strop. I have seen the strop put a better edge than 8000 grit stones. Keep in mind a strop is only 30 bucks or so, and you could almost spend $100 on an 8000 grit stone. This reccommended sytem will make a butter knife scary sharp if you wanted it too. However, the stones are expensive and will loose shape over time depending on how much you use them. But the time you use them will definitely yield better results than a spyderco Sharpmaker (I have one). I also reccommend some sort of a stone holder like the Steelex Sharpening Stone Holder. This works well and makes it easier to work with.
Read Best Reviews of King 47506 1000/6000 Combination Grit Waterstone Here
Very good whetstone for regular use. Will sharpen any kitchen knife without ruining its edge if you know what you're doing, be they German knives (I use it with my Wusthofs) or more delicate Japanese knives, such as Global or Shun. Highly recommended.Want King 47506 1000/6000 Combination Grit Waterstone Discount?
I have gone nuts with this thing. I have sharpened every knife in the kitchen except the steak knives with this awesome combo. The 1000 grit (brown side) is perfect for sharpening up dull knives and the 6000 grit (beige side) polishes the edge to a highly reflective, almost mirror finish.HOWEVER, this combo is not good for an extremely dull edge or for a blade that needs to be re-profiled. It is possible to slowly re-profile with the 1000 grit, but for me it was an arduous and ultimately wasteful task. I ended up buying a 400/800 grit Norton tool sharpening stone from Home Depot for the knife I had to re-profile.
In conclusion, I am extremely satisfied with this combo King Stone, it does what it's supposed to do. I sharpen my knives at 15 degrees a side on 1000 then 6000, then I strop carefully with a paddle-backed leather strop and stropping compound from Bark River (not on Amazon). This results in crazy sharp knives.
The next step is Chosera stones, they are much more expensive, but I hear they are the cats pajamas :)
NOTE: I was not careful with the 6000 grit side at first and used too steep an angle, the knife actually bit into the 6000 grit and took off a small shallow chunk, the stone is still working great though.
