Benefits of Japanese water stones

There are different sharpening methods. One of the most pleasant and most fun way of sharpening is with Japanese water stones. There are faster ways to sharpen, like electric sharpeners or pull-through sharpeners, but with a Japanese sharpening stone, you can sharpen your knives to perfect sharpness in the traditional way!

The main advantages of Japanese water stones compared to other sharpening stones are: the quality of the sharpening stones, the sharpening result and the possibility to sharpen with an ultra-fine grain size. Because the sharpening stones only take a small amount of steel compared to, say, a pull-through sharpener, your knife remains thin. A thin edge is at least as important as the sharpness of the knife when it comes to cutting capabilities. Check out this article to learn more about the difference between a sharpening stone, whetstone and water stone.

Sharpening your knives to perfect sharpness with Japanese whetstones

Japanese water stones are more efficient than other sharpening stones. There are several reasons for this. For one thing, Japanese sharpening stones come in many different grain sizes. This means that you don't need to waste time sharpening with a too fine grain size. Instead, you can work your way up from lower grain sizes. Furthermore, Japanese stones are characterised by their self-cleaning nature. They do not clog up and they remain effective for a long time. As such, you're always using the entire sharpening surface, which is great for speed and precision.

Different types of Japanese whetstones

There are different types of Japanese sharpening stones. There are natural and synthetic stones available. There is one constant with Japanese whetstones: the stones are comprised of very small bound-together sharpening particles. During sharpening, these particles are released, creating a layer of sludge. This gives your knife a very sharp edge.

We offer several brands of Japanese water stones. The Japanese sharpening stones from Shapton and Naniwa are considered some of the best on the market. These sharpening stones remain flat for a very long time, so they are great if you intend to sharpen frequently. This is because the stones do not need to be flattened out very often. We offer several series of these two brands.

The Skerper Professional sharpening stones are also very hard. They are nice to work with and sharpen efficiently. In addition, your knife won't 'bite' into the stone as quickly. Because these stones are quite thick, you are guaranteed a long life-span.

It is convenient and often financially smart to buy a set of sharpening stones from the same brand. A combination of different brands could work for you. Look carefully at the grain size and consider your preference in terms of sharpening. Keep these things in mind when choosing your sharpening stones. This will give you the best results with your Japanese sharpening stones!

Would you like to learn more about how to use Japanese water stones? Check out our video tutorial!