Whetstones: Buying Guide
A beginner's guide to buying Japanese whetstones.
Background
I can’t imagine life without sharp tools. Even as a kid with a pocket knife, I always had a small whetstone to keep it sharp. Now, two and a half decades later, it feels like almost every hobby I have involves sharpening in some way.
For woodworking, it’s chisels and hand planes. For wood sculptures, it’s carving knives. Then there are the camping knives, pocket knives, and multi-tools. Bookbinding? That needs leather paring knives. Cardboard crafting? Turns out even Olfas benefit from a diamond strop. And let’s not forget my small collection of Japanese straight razors from that phase when I thought I was too good for normal people shaving. Oh, and of course, dozens upon dozens of kitchen knives.
Over the years, I’ve spent thousands of dollars on all kinds of sharpening equipment—oil stones, water stones, diamond stones, pull-through sharpeners, guided systems, grinding wheels, and more.
This post is will let you skip a decade’s worth of purchases and save your bank account. I’ll guide you through selecting high-quality sharpening equipment for different budgets and uses. While this isn’t a sharpening tutorial, I’ll explain the essential equipment and illustrate the trade-offs between various price points, so you can make informed choices from the start.
Why Whetstones?
After trying nearly every sharpening method out there, I’ve settled firmly on whetstones. Pull-through sharpeners may seem convenient, but they’re not only wildly ineffective—they’re downright harmful. They create uneven bevels, quickly ruin blade geometry, and are better left in the trash. Powered systems are even worse, with the added risk of overheating your blade and destroying its temper. Guided systems, while precise, are expensive, cumbersome to set up, and limited in what they can handle. And unless your knife is made of junk steel, leave that honing rod in the drawer.
Whetstones, on the other hand, offer the perfect combination of versatility, affordability, and effectiveness. Despite their intimidating reputation, they’re surprisingly simple to use. Yes, there’s a learning curve, but it’s far gentler than most people think. Even complete beginners can achieve and maintain edges sharper than they ever imagined. Whetstones are fast, flexible, and, most importantly, deliver superior results.
Can’t I Just Buy the 10 Piece Amazon Whetstone Special?
No. Dear god no. Please don’t. I have tried several, and they are all terrible. They are slow, they wear quickly, they dish easily, they clog, they are inconsistent, they are poorly made, they are poorly graded, they are poorly packaged, they are poorly everything. They make everything about sharpening harder, and you will really, seriously regret owning them.
Yes, I know they are cheap. Yes, I know they have inexplicably good reviews. And yes, I know they come with 6 stones, a stand, a flattening stone, a strop, and a partridge in a pear tree. But seriously, it’s all junk and you don’t want it.
Can you technically sharpen a knife with them? Yes. But technically you can also sharpen a knife on a dirty brick from your mom’s garden…and honestly, using the brick would probably be the more satisfying experience.
Sharpening Stones
So if I’ve convinced you not to throw away your money on cheap junk, what should you buy?
For the average person with a few kitchen knives and maybe a pocket knife or two, a simple two grit set up will suffice. You need a coarser stone to establish the initial edge and a finer stone to refine it and remove the burr. Experienced sharpeners can get away with a single stone, but this is neither optimal nor something I would recommend for a beginner.
Although coarseness is measured by seemingly objective grit numbers, manufacturers do not follow a universal standard, and published grit numbers should only be used as as rough guide, not as law. Your coarse stone should be somewhere between 500-1000 and the fine stone somewhere between 3000-6000.
| Min | Upgr | Mine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cost | $37 | $89 | $143 |
| King KDS 1k/6k | $37 | ||
| Shapton Glass 500 | $48 | $48 | |
| Rika 5000 | $41 | ||
| Morihei Hi 4000 | $80 | ||
| Stone Holder | $15 |
In this table, I’ve outlined 3 paths, the Minimum, Upgrade, and My Personal Setup.
Sharpening: Minimum Setup
The King KDS 1k/6k is an excellent introductory Japanese stone. Although 1k is a little finer than I prefer for edge setting, there is essentially nothing at this price point that can compare to the quality of the King Deluxe. This is a soaking stone, so you will need to let it soak submerged in water for 10-15 minutes before use. It is extremely important that you buy the King Deluxe (KDS) and not any of the standard Kings, such as the KW65, KW45 or any unmarked variants, which are smaller and lower quality.
Sharpening: Upgraded Setup
In this path, the King is replaced with two of my favorite stones, the Shapton Glass 500 and the Rika 5000. Out of my ~25 or so whetstones, the Shapton Glass 500 is simply my favorite. It is a splash and go stone, meaning you can use it immediately without soaking. And is a joy to use, cutting quickly and leaving a great edge. You’ll want to only use it for the initial edge setting and for chip repairs, as it is a little greedy for routine sharpening. Meanwhile, the Rika 5000 is a luxurious soaking stone that builds up a creamy slurry and feels simply heavenly under the knife. The 5000 grit is a bit overstated – realistically it is more like a 3000 grit, which is perfect for kitchen knives.
If you some extra cash to throw at your equipment, these two upgrades are well worth the money.
Sharpening: My Personal Setup
Pulling out all the stops, you can add a $15 stone holder to make you life that much easier when using the Shapton. It is by no means necessary – a wet paper towel on top of another stone will do just as well – but it is a nice convenience and what I personally use. Finally, although I do have a real soft spot in my heart for the Rika 5000, I often simply don’t have the patience to wait the 15 minutes of soaking that it needs to truly shine. So what I actually end up using is the vaunted Morihei Hi 4000, a crisp splash and go that blends synthetic and natural grinding agents, for a true-to-grit finish. Although I have plenty of higher grit stones, this is my usual stopping place for kitchen knives.
Stropping
The last step of any sharpening is removing the burr, a thin flap of metal left over from the sharpening process. Depending on the steel, the burr can fold over and make an otherwise sharp knife feel dull or it can stand up from the apex and make the knife feel sharp, at least until you use it a bit. Failure to adequately remove the burr is likely one of the roots of the myth that sharp knives don’t stay sharp for long.
As you gain experience, you will be able to remove almost all of the burr on your finishing stone. But there is a reason craftsmen who require absolute sharpness (like woodworkers and barbers) have been using strops for thousands of years. Finishing your sharpening with a strop will remove the last microburr and result in a clean and strong edge that will cut better and last longer.
These days, strops are typically loaded with a fine diamond compound that serves as a mild abrasive to remove the last bit of burr and polish the edge. Such a strop can also be used to maintain a razor edge in between sharpenings. I will often go months without a real sharpening, only using a diamond-loaded balsa wood strop.
| Min | Upgr | Mine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cost | $0 | $20 | $59 |
| Carpet/Cardboard/Jeans/etc | $0 | ||
| Balsa Strop | $14 | $14 | |
| Strop Base | $25 | ||
| CKTG Diamond Paste | $6 | ||
| Gunny Juice 1um | $20 |
Stropping: Minimum Setup
The essence of stopping is a mild abrasive to remove the last vestiges of the burr. If you are at the limits of your budget, you can reach a sorry imitation of stropping by using a piece of cardboard, a pair of jeans, or even a piece of carpet. These are all poor substitutes, but they are better than nothing. If I had to pick one of these methods, I would hot glue a piece of cardboard to some scrapwood and use that.
Stropping: Upgraded Setup
If you do have the money for a real strop, I strongly recommend it, as it will make everything about getting a razor sharp knife easier. Although leather is the material traditionally associated with strops, I exclusively use balsa wood for this purpose.
Why balsa instead of leather? Well first, balsa is hard, so it doesn’t roll over the edge and soften your apex. Second, you can transition all the techniques and muscle memory from regular sharpening to strop the perfect edge. Third, balsa can easily repaired, so if it gets damaged, you can simply sand it to have a fresh surface. Finally, basla simply does a great job of loading with diamond compound.
You can probably buy balsa at a craft store, but if you want a purpose built solution, CKTG sells a wonderful magnetic balsa strip that you can attach to an arbitrary metal surface or to the base they sell separately. They also sell a 1 micron diamond paste that is perfect for maintaining a razor edge in between sharpenings. If you intend on sharpening actual razors, you will want to refer to the specialty applications portion of this guide for additional advice.
Stropping: My Personal Setup
Personally, I spent the extra money to buy the strop base, which is a heavy metal base with rubber feet that makes your stopping experience a dream. I also upgrade from the CKTG diamond paste to the Gunny Juice 1um, which is a poly diamond emulsion that is a more aggressive and a more effective. It’s honestly a bit of a splurge unless you are doing a lot of sharpening, but if you want the best, this is it.
Flattening
If you plan on sharpening a lot, or just want to have the best experience possible, you will want to consider a flattening stone. Whetstones start out with a flat, uniform surface, full of exposed cutting particles. They will sharpen your knife evenly and quickly. However as you use them, they can wear unevenly, become damaged, or clog. This can make your sharpening take longer, give inconsistent results, or simply be irritating.
The solution is very flat, rough grit stone that you rub on your actual whetstone to sand away the high and low spots, to remove the gouges, and refresh the cutting surface.
Flattening: Minimum Setup If you are on a tight budget, you have a few cheap options for stone flattening.
- Two Stone Method: Just rub your sharpening and your finishing stones together, making sure to use the entire surface of both stones and to change the angles as you go. This will be slow and imperfect, and you may risk grit contamination in your finishing stone, but it beats not flattening at all.
- Paving Stone: You can buy a cheap paving stone from a hardware store and use that to flatten your stones. This is a little faster and more effective than the two stone method, but it is still slow and imperfect.
- Sandpaper: You can buy a sheet of 120 grit sandpaper and glue or tape it to a flat surface (like glass). This is the fastest and most effective of the cheap methods, but it is also the most expensive in the long run, as you will need to replace the sandpaper frequently.
Flattening: Upgraded Setup Flat aluminum stones with diamonds embedded in the surface are the gold standard for flattening. The CKTG 140 is an excellent and inexpensive choice, especially if you are already buying their strop and can save on shipping.
Flattening: My Personal Setup Personally I use the Atoma 140. It has excellent particle distribution, is true-to-grit, and will last forever. It is a great stone, but it is also a bit of a splurge, and you can get by just fine with the CKTG 140.
Summary
If you read over the following sections, you’ll see you have the flexibility to mix and match. Maybe you want to get the minimum sharpening and minimum flattening, but go for the upgraded stropping for a total of $57. In fact, that’s probably the minimum I would personally buy if I was starting over on an extreme budget.
These are some example setups, but you can mix and match to your heart’s content.
| Fully Minimum Setup | $37 |
|---|---|
| King KDS 1k/6k | $37 |
| Carpet/Cardboard/Jeans/etc | $0 |
| 2 stone/paving stone/sandpaper/ect | $0 |
| Minimum I Would Buy | $57 |
|---|---|
| King KDS 1k/6k | $37 |
| CKTG Diamond Paste | $6 |
| CKTG 140 | $30 |
| 2 stone/paving stone/sandpaper/ect | $0 |
| Fully Upgraded Setup | $139 |
|---|---|
| Shapton Glass 500 | $48 |
| Rika 5000 | $41 |
| Balsa Strop | $14 |
| CKTG Diamond Paste | $6 |
| CKTG 140 | $30 |
| My Personal Setup | $257 |
|---|---|
| Shapton Glass 500 | $48 |
| Morihei Hi 4000 | $80 |
| Stone Holder | $15 |
| Balsa Strop | $14 |
| Strop Base | $25 |
| Gunny Juice 1um | $20 |
| Atoma 140 | $55 |
Specialized Advice
Everything above has been targeted towards the general sharpener, but there are a few specialized applications that I will briefly touch on.
Major Repairs
Do you want to restore battered antiques, fix broken tips, or thin out a thick knife? You will need a coarse stone that can remove a lot of material quickly. I do not consider a major repair stone to be a necessary part of an everyday sharpening kit, but if you plan on doing any of the aforementioned tasks, you will need one.
There are plenty of good options out there, but for starters I would recommend Shapton Trad 120. If you go this route, make sure that you are also getting something in the 500 grit range, such as the Shapton Glass 500.
Super Steels
Do you have a closet full of S110V, ZDP-189, or M390? These steels are notoriously difficult to sharpen, and you will need a diamond stone to make the process bearable. I would recommend the Atoma line for this purpose.
If you are on a budget, you could also consider the CKTG 400/1000. This is a lower quality stone, and it is not quite the grits I would choose, but you could literally buy three of these for the price of the Atoma set up.
Keep in mind that you will still need to buy a strop and diamond paste to finish the edge, especially because the stones end in the 1000 grit range. Diamond stones do not need flattening, so you can skip that.
| Super Steel Budget | $30 |
|---|---|
| CKTG 400/1000 | $30 |
| Super Steel Premium | $100 |
|---|---|
| Atoma 600 | $50 |
| Atoma 1200 | $50 |
Straight Razors
If you want to sharpen straight razors, you will need a full progression of stones in the 4000-12000 grit range, and maybe even higher. I would recommend the following progression:
| Straight Razor Progression | $270 |
|---|---|
| Morihei Hi 4000 | $80 |
| Kitayama 8000 | $44 |
| Naniwa Gouken 12k | $50 |
| Balsa Strop | $14 |
| Balsa Strop | $14 |
| Strop Base | $25 |
| CKTG Diamond Paste, 1um | $6 |
| CKTG Diamond Paste, .5um | $6 |
| CKTG 120 | $30 |
A few notes about this setup:
- If you are heavily restoring razors, you will want to add a ~1000 grit stone to this set up. If you are maintaining already very sharp razors, you might be able to skip the 4000 grit stone.
- This set features two high grit stones not yet covered in this post. I’ve recommended the Kitayama 8000 and the Naniwa 12k. As long as the true grits of your progression are matched, you can mix and match between brands without problem.
- It’s extra money, but I highly recommend buying the strop base, unless you have a good DIY solution in mind.
- I’ve included two diamond pastes and two strops, 1um and .5um. You can go even finer, but I haven’t found it to be necessary.
- You must buy a flattening stone. For straight razors this is not optional
I Can’t Find These Stones!
Although I’ve made some very specific recommendations, there are many good whetstones out there. If for some reason you can’t find the exact stones I recommend, stick to one of these reputable brands:
- King (Deluxe models only)
- Naniwa Chosera
- Shapton
- Suehiro
- Atoma
- Arashiyama
- Kitayama
- Morihei
- Imanishi
- JNS