Kai Japanese Professional Knife Sharpening Stone

This stone may or may not be made by KAI as I don't know if they actually manufacture sintered abrasive bricks as that is not quite the same type of process as forging and machining steel). Kai certainly do brand it as their own. With that being the case I was willing to give this modestly priced stone a try. As with any stone technique and patience will have a great influence on the results. The 240 side is abrasive enough to smooth over the factory grind on Henckels Four Star and International Classic knives. My 5.5" Four Star santoku needed some work and the stone did a fantastic job of knocking down the rough burred baring a couple of tiny chips from ten years of frequent use. My santoku now has a fresh continuous edge without any burrs or chips. My most used knife is now sharper than new with many years of service ahead. My large santoku also Four Star wasn't as worn but it still had the factory edge from whatever coarse abrasive Henckels uses in their process. This stone is sufficient for removing this type of factory finished edge surface characterized by visible parallel striations in the steel. After using the 240 side the 1000 side will bring the edge to a very smooth edge. Beyond the 1000 side a 6000 stone can be used but is by no means necessary for anything I've ever cooked. The returns I've found beyond 1000 are quite diminished and more of an amusement than of any utility. When sharpening with wet fingers very sharp blades don't feel as sharp as they actually are against dry skin. There is a distinct difference between an edge of burr formed by using a steel vs the smoothness of an edge refined on an abrasive whetstone. I found that my knives were already very willing to cut paper with little effort without ever feeling as grabby or edgy against skin like I found with the results of using a sharpening steel. Stop working at the stone to dry and test the edge once in a while even if it doesn't feel sharp enough against a wet finger while you're working away at the stone.

This is the best wet stone for the price. I was able to restore a tip on a shun ken onion santuko by using the side of the stone keeping the face of the stone intact. The base of this stone is rubbery making it more slip resistant than the hard plastic bases most stones come with. This is a KAI product and is definitely a Japanese product and there are no English instructions so I would suggest looking on YouTube for instructions. I would compare this to the Wasabi version of the Shun knives, there is a Shun whet stone version for $50 more. This is the same company KAI and a very reputable company. On the supplier side the item was very well packaged and received very quickly. I have seen some stones damaged in shipping on YouTube and was glad to receive the item in perfect condition and so well packed that it could have probably been thrown out of a 2 story building and been fine. The best whet stone on the internet for the price. I paid $25 and received free shipping at the time of writing this. This was my first whet stone and was able to get a factory edge on all of my shun's with this stone and a follow up with a honing on a steel. I could not recommend this product more. I would gladly give 6 stars or would pay up to $35 for this particular item. A++ all around product, shipping, packaging all well above what I expected for $25.

This is a very good product. I have used this for over a week now and have found that it will not crack as long as you keep it in a semi-sealed container and allow it to dry slowly. Leaving this out as it dries will most likely cause failure in the whetstone. To the good stuff. I spent hours on my large survival knife starting to bring it from a 30-40 degree angle down to about a 15 degree angle. And it worked. Although the labor was long, it was completely worth every penny. I was able to shave my arm hair with it and cut through paper okay. I would recommend also purchasing a 6000 grain whetstone as well if you want true razor sharp knives. However this will repair heavily used knives. I would not recommend this if your knife has a huge gash in it though. At that point it is better to buy a new knife.

It takes time to sharpen a knife correctly. I spent about 30 minutes on an already fairly sharp knife. I then spent two more sessions of about 10 to 15 minutes each. I took it a bit further with a 6000 grit stone and this puts a nice polish on it. Instead of cutting through an onion, it glides or slips through it. It was truly shocking to me to use a really sharp knife. It may take a bit of time to get it right the first time, since this was my first time with a water stone, but it was well worth the effort. I have been trying to figure out the best way to get a really sharp knife. The water stones work great for me. I spend about 10 minutes every other month with a 1000 grit and a 6000 grit to maintain it. I am very careful with my edge and I don't hack at beef bones with it and I always hand wash. It is truly something to experience when using a sharp knife. I have been a home cook for over 30 years. I used to think that the electric sharpener I have worked great, but now I know better.

Important note right off the bat, the instructions are in JAPANESE. I added a pdf file of instructions that I requested from the manufacturer. I ordered this item to bring back to life a knife that I actually purchased in Japan. I use the knife everyday and it had just lost its sharpness and I wanted to get it back. With the first try, success was achieved. I am by no means a professional but after watching a few videos I got the basic mechanics and went to town. It has 2 sides. a rough and a smooth side. Also it has a holder that you place the stone in while you are doing the sharpening. It is best to also lay a towel under the holder so that it can catch the water that you pour on the stone and keep it from sliding. It is a great little stone for the price I paid. I sharpened 2 knives already and they are awesome. I love them so much and they are back to their sharp selves. This is the first stone I own so maybe my review is a bit biased.

This was my first whetstone and it does the job. It's a good cutting stone and will get the burrs going one way but you need a polisher to finish the job. If you are just learning or starting out, this will make your knives sharper while you learn. Stone wear down pretty quick but this is a budget stone. You get what you pay for and all in all this is a decent purchase. The 1000 grit is very nice and has a good feel when sharpening.

So far I've been very happy with this stone. (I use this one and a 6000 grit stone). Good quality at a good price. Have had it for a few months and it is still nice and flat and even. Will update if time proves me wrong. Edit 6/15/09: I am now more familiar and experienced with stones, so I would like to add a few things. First and foremost, I still believe this is a good stone and at the listed price ($25), it's quite a bargain. I only wish they offered one that was a little wider. I've now tried some King waterstones - the standard for cheap but good Japanese waterstones. In comparison, this stone does not cut as fast as the kings at the 1000 grit level. The 240 side is fairly aggressive and cuts pretty fast, perhaps faster than king's offerings. Like most coarse stones (a notable exception being the bester 500 grit stone), the 240 side dishes quickly. The 1000 grit side dishes comparably at a more moderate pace. More importantly, I feel like this stone leaves a nicer finish than does a king stone at 1000 grit. As such, I recommend this stone in general, but I recommend it very highly if you are on a limited budget and don't want to buy any higher grit stones to finish on. The coarse side is probably one of the better stones in the 240 range on the market, but it is slowed down just a bit by it's narrowness. Neither stone individually is the best of its kind (though you'd have to leave amazon to find some of the best), but taken together and considering the price, it's a good combo stone that could easily be either your only stone or the first two in your progression. In either case don't waste money on stones sold by knife companies - shun, global, whatever. They charge a huge markup compared to other companies based on brand recognition and people assuming that a company's stone is best for their knives.

Quick tip on the bonus function: there is a little blue square block on one end of the stone. This removes rust! Use it like an eraser. It works! It can make tiny scratch marks, so be aware though. I use it for my steak knives The stone itself is really good for typical house hold use. I have been sharpening my knives (J.A. Henckels) with this for 4 years now. Probably 4-5 times a year. Everybody comes to use my knifes tells me they all are sharp. The stone is still in a good shape. I soak the stone overnight. I wish it was a little bigger, but for the price it is a great value. For the how to: watch YouTube! There are tons of video available:) Hope this helps!

Perfect once you know how to use it properly.

粗面と仕上げ面があるので便利です！

Great sharpening stone especially the 1000 grit side, high quality and quick sharpening.

For professional use only, I like it

Me decido a escribir esta reseña el día de hoy, pues ya llevo un tiempo utilizando esta piedra de afilar. Antes de pasar a los pros y contras, he aquí información importante: - El uso que le he dado es principalmente afilar formones, junto a una guía de afilado, y solo ocasionalmente para cuchillos y hachas de cocina, navajas utilitarias y cuchillos de cacería. - La dejo sumergida en agua durante al menos 5 minutos antes de usar. - Como lubricante utilizo liquido limpia vidrios. - Para obtener un micro filo o el conocido como "super filo", se tienen que utilizar grados intermedios y finales de abrasivos. - Acostumbro a limpiar el objeto a afilar entre grados sumergiéndolo en agua y pasando papel o trapo. PROS: - La rectitud, firmeza y acabados de la piedra, me han dado resultado y la considero de muy buena calidad, aunque aclaro que no soy experto en el tema; a durado sin gran desgaste, no presenta zanjas o canales. - Es una piedra 3 en 1 (combo), aunque es menos el material de cada grado al que se puede encontrar en una piedra de un solo grado, imagino que sirve para mantener este costo, es conveniente para ahorrar espacio, no solo de almacenamiento, si no también en area de trabajo, esta muy bien adherido en cada grado, de manera pareja y limpia, también cuenta con un removedor de oxido. El lado 240 rebaja muy bien el material y el lado de grado 1000 deja muy buen brillo; el removedor de oxido tiene el poro muy abierto, y noto que es algo flexible, por lo que no deja surcos en el metal. - Incluye una base de plástico algo gomoso, que evita en cierto grado el deslizamiento, pero no es lo máximo, yo pegue un poco de corcho en las patas para que se moviera menos. CONTRAS: - El instructivo y características están escritas en japonés. - Los grados son muy distantes, de 240 pasamos a 1000. Imagino que es por costos más que por practicidad. - Es algo angosta y no muy larga. En conclusión, es una piedra de muy buena calidad, practica a buen precio que dará mejores resultados y durara mas que una piedra económica.