Customer Reviews

Norton Waterstone Starter Kit: 220/1000 grit stone, 4000/8000 grit stone, SiC flattening stone

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I finally spent the money on some quality stones after years of sandpaper sharpening. I'm glad I did. The DVD is very helpful, especially if you don't have a mentor to show you the ropes and is a good value because it teaches how to sharpen without a honing guide. The flattening stone works well and is necessary. If you're on a budget, I'd recommend a 1000/8000 stone,the DVD, and sandpaper for flattening, but if you can spring for it, the kit is a good value and I expect mine will last decades.

Anyone who is into sharpening by hand, especially straight razors, will appreciate this set of stones. The set comes highly recommeneded by every forum on straight razor shaving, and should also put a razor edge on any knives and tools you have lying around the house. It even comes with a decent DVD on sharpening.

And while it will probably give you the best edge you have every had on knives and razors, you must check out some of the training videos on the Web to get it right. Freehand sharpening is not easy, but with a little education you can do a great job.

This kit includes everything you need to sharpen your chisels and plane blades. It even has a step by step video of how to use the stones. No stone is left unturned in putting together this set. For those who don't have a steady hand a honing guide is recommended, though by no means necessary.

Great product! These stones seem to be the standard for straight razor enthusiasts. The 1000 grit stone for setting a bevel on a dull razor and the 4k/8k for developing the edge. The flattening stone is crucial because over time all hones will become uneven. Eventually, you'll want to get a higher grit stone for further polishing but these stones will get you 90% there. This is a solid value.

I've been using sandpaper for the last 3 years, I really like the water stones. The only problem I have is that I'm not sure the flattening stone is flat, I can take to a waterstone til its flat then put 2 waterstones together and it appears that it is not flat. So I guess I need to put the flattening stone to sandpaper. It's a good starter set to make sure it works for you, but I can tell that my next purchase will be the full stones, not the combination stones.

I'd used my son's Norton flattening stone in conjunction with the 220/1000 and 4000/8000 combination stone and had good luck with it. I ordered the same system as I was using "Norton Waterstone Starter Kit: 220/1000 grit stone, 4000/8000 grit stone, SiC flattening stone" from Amazon. I did a quick flattening of all the stones and went to work.

Norton's tub shaped flattening stone wasn't flat so I spent 2 hours turning my beautifully cambered convex A2 steel 1/8" thick smoothing plane iron into a useless concave smoothing iron which is 0.004" concave over 2 1/8". The flattening stone was concave shaped on the 3" side. It will take me several hours to fix the plane iron. The flattening stone was bowed up 0.010 inches in the center of the long side. I called Norton customer service and they said we don't handle customer complaints. Just send it back to Amazon for a replacement. This really stinks. I'm going to keep sending the replacements back to Amazon until I get an acceptable quality sharpening system.

This set is exactly what it claims to be, and is very high quality. This set will serve for any sharpening tasks up to and including straight razors (though for a truly keen edge on a razor you may want at least one higher-grade stone as well). It is a staple of knowledgeable straight-razor "honemeisters", and is more than adequate for ordinary knife or shop tool sharpening. The lapping stone (flattening stone) is rather coarse; some prefer to use just a medium-grade sandpaper on a flat plate for the same task, but that is a matter of preference.

The stones are synthetic double-grade (two grades on opposite sides of the same stone), in the 4 grit sizes mentioned. The grits provide a good gradation of sharpening from coarse to very fine, and with good technique will reliably produce a good result. They are waterstones - they must be soaked in water before use, and kept wet while sharpening. The plastic cases also serve as a stand for the stone in use. The stones are thick and relatively large-sized - 4" x 8" - which is an advantage for knives or plane blades. All in all, just what you'd expect, and well-made. A good value for a set that will handle every ordinary need and last a lifetime.

Great set of stones that cover everything from sharpening chisels and the like all the way down to sharpening straight razors. Originally I bought it for the purpose of maintaining my straight razors but, of course, it also works great for keeping the kitchen knives sharp and maintaining those tools in the garage.

This is the first set of sharpening stones I have owned. I tried sand paper glued on granite tiles before purchasing these stones. I had better results with these stones and found them easier to use. The video is helpful showing how to sharpen your tools using the stones and how to maintain the stones. If you're a novice like me it may take some time to learn the technique that works best for you.

Great sharpening system. I use them for straight razors and give me a quick great edge without haveing to spend a thousand on socalled highend systems.