Customer Reviews

#1000 Grit Ceramic (Orange) Professional Series Water Stone - Shapton

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I'll be the first to admit that I'm a power tool guy. Since I didn't have the tools to properly sharpen hand tools, I stayed away from hand tools as much as possible. After attending a class taught by David Marks and seeing his techniques on sharpening, I decided to give it a try. Based on David's reccomendation, I purchased the #5000 Shapton stone and the #1000 Shapton Stone from Japan Woodworker along with a sharpening jig at the local Woodcraft.

I did own a few other cheaper waterstones and did not like them since I had to soak them in water before using them and they were quite messey. With the Shapton's, you simply spray a little water onto the stone and proceed with the sharpening, which substantially reduces the mess.

I use the #1000 stone after using a coarse diamond stone and then finish off with a #5000 Shapton Stone. The final results now make working with hand tools enjoyable.

Keep in mind that the stone alone won't make you a great sharpener, but the combination of the stone, along with finer and coarser grits and a jig will make you a much better one.

If you buy these stones from Japan Woodworker, all the literature is in Japanese, but if you are looking at a Shapton Stone, you probably already understand how they work, so this isn't a big deal.

While the Shapton Stones are pricey, they live up to the hype and are a worthwhile investment if you use hand tools on a regular basis.

I have been using water stone for some time and until now it was always a messy operation.
You had to let the stone soak in water for a while, get the stone out of the water buket and splash it ofen while in use.
White the shapton stone pro series, the only thing you need is a spray bottle. The stone comes in a box that you can use for storage and as a base when sharpening. Just spray a little water before use and voila.

I am using the 1000, 5000 and 8000 grits.

I do not use the shapton laping system which is out of my budget for now. Instead I use a diamond plate to flaten the stone from time to time which seems to work perfectly.

I have no intention of becoming an knife-edge-fanatic that works his way through 3000 and 8000 grit. If you are just interested in putting a keen edge on kitchen knives and camping knives, then this stone is the ultimate. Pure joy. Don't settle for less than the best.

A grit of 1000 is just about right in the middle of the grit range: if you don't mind working a bit hard on badly damaged edges, but also are not interested in a super razor sharp result. Razor sharp edges are probably not going to stay razor sharp for long (only the highest carbon steels stay this sharp).

Even with this "course" stone you should be able to get your basic stainless kitchen knife to shave your arm hair. I don't use any tool to hold the knife while sharping - just my judgment and feel. This stone is great because it never gets clogged up - it continues to evenly bind to the edge even if you work it really hard.

This stone is expensive, but you get what you pay for. It's worth every cent and you won't regret it.

Shapton products are fantastic. This water stone is great for sharpening chisels or plane blades. This stone will last you a lifetime. The stone is wide and long enough that you can sharpen plane blades without a problem. The case the stone comes in is great for storage. The case has a piece of foam in it to protect the stone, holes to allow airflow, and is stackable if you own other Shapton stones. Just remember to get something to flatten the stone as it will ware over time.

I can't say enough about the Shapton Pro 1k stone- I just love it. It doesn't require and soaking at all, just splash and go. That's a time saver. It also cuts pretty quickly on virtually every steel I've used it on (Aogami, SG-2, VG-10, SRS-15, Infi, 01, D2 and a few I'm forgetting). For all that it really doesn't dish all that fast. Lastly it's a pretty economical stone. It's maybe $30 cheaper than the only other 1k I definitely like better, the Chocera 1k.