Naniwa Super-Stone Japanese Sharpening Stones, Set of 3: 400, 1000, 5000, FREE Sharpening Guide Clip

I love cooking, and enjoy using equipment that is well-tuned. In the case of knives, it's important to me that they be properly sharpened. Over the years, my search for a store/service that sharpens knives properly continues to be futile. While sometimes the results were just OK, the last time I trusted my beloved knives to be sharpened at a well-known kitchen supply store, they came back duller with some blades damaged. To say I was not impressed is an understatement.

While I had good results with honing rods (see the two excellent models on this site), I realized these are not the best tools to repair a damaged knife or very dull blade. I started becoming interested in sharpening stones after seeing information posted by Paul on Facebook (I guess marketing and advertisements work after all!), and decided to take the plunge a few weeks ago.

While Paul's great advice, I settled on this trio of Naniwa Super Stones (400 - 1000 - 5000). All I ca say is WOW!
I learned a good sharpening technique by watching and learning Peter Nowlan's instructional videos and web pages, and was starting getting very pleasing results rather quickly.

The 400 grit stone is great to reform a new cutting edge on a well-used knife, or one that has nicks or other types of blade damage. It is coarse enough to quickly created a sharp edge on most knives, but no so coarse that there's a fear to grin off too much metal too quickly. Using this stone - and with Peter's encouragement - I was able to repair a damaged Shun Sumo Santoku with a 2.5mm nick in the blade. While grinding off so much metal takes time and puts the sharpening stone to the test, I had a perfectly repaired and exceeding sharp knife with a polished blade in about 40-45 minutes. Yes, it easily passed the paper cutting test.

The 1000 grit stone is special… Coarse enough to refinish a knife that's note overly damaged, while being fine enough to put some polish on the blade's edge. It's a pleasure to use. If you only wish to commit to the purchase of a single stone, this is the one to get.

The 5000 grit stone is reserved for those special knives in your collection, where you really want that fine polish and super fine edge.

I think that the Naniwa Super Stone line is a great choice for people who wish to start stone sharpening, while getting a quality a bit better than bottom-shelf. I highly, highly recommend this set. These stones - even the 400 grit - do not dish quickly, and are likely to last me a decade.