Just ordered my first gritomatic. I bought the 120 for doing the final shaping on high mc carbide steel kitchen knives ive been doing. Id definitely like to see how the gritomatic compares to the 240 sigma power select 2. Because ive heard that ones pretty good for what it is.
@@Jef ah. Nah, me neither. Ive just heard its pretty ideal for those kind of jobs. Ill probably get it eventually. Ive just tried the shapton 120, and 220, all the norton oil stones (india, crystolon), cerax 320, the king 220, and 300, and idk im sure im forgetting some.
@@Jef i did like the shapton 120 a lot for that. So the crystolon does remove material very well for the edge, but for thinning steels like 10v, it just isnt quite friable enough in my experience. But for edges it does do a great job. I saw what you said in this one about the gritomatic not being super friable, which also makes sense with what they say on the site. That it only releases a lot of grit with softer steels, which has been my experience with other stones too.
@@Jef Looks like youtube nuked my comment. I said. Thanks man. I trust your feedback above anyone else online just had one more question for you. I was looking to add either the 3k sigma select or the suehiro g8 to my SIC progression, which consists of Shapton Pro 220 and 320, and a King Neo 800, which is an absolutely incredible stone, all time great imo up there with the 400 chosera, especially for the money. Between the G8 and the sigma, which one do you like more? Thanks.
@@Jef I only have the budget for one. Either one is going to run about $75. I guess you can throw the Gritomatic 2500 in there as well as a wildcard. I think all 3 are silicon carbide and they're all extra fine medium stones or close to finishing stones. I'd love to get all 3 of course, but I can't justify that. If you could only have one, which one do you think? How would you rank them.
Ooo tough question. If only one, id get the gritomatic 2500. Anything finer, i would use strops. If you can afford both, the g8 is sic. Very fine finishing stone. More than the 3k sigma. So yeah. Id do 2500 gritomatic, and if you can afford it, the g8 as well.
Is the sigma select II 1k quite a hard stone, and does it load up or dish quickly? How does it compare to other stones like shapton and naniwa pro? Looking to try a new 1k and this is one of the few ive never tried.
It is fairly hard yes. It isnt hard a shapton pro however. It is friable, so wear will occur. Just not at the rate of some of your softer stones. Wear will happen about as quickly as naniwa pro. Speed is faster than both. I can try to do a side by side video, if that would help.
@@Jef ah thanks for your reply. Would you say it's about as hard as a naniwa pro 800? I'm looking for a hard 1k stone apart from shapton if you had any recommendations based on your expirence?
Sigma select II is a solid choice. Cuts most super steels with no issue. There are tons of options you can go with. Shapton glass. Don’t under estimate the king deluxe 1k. It is hard (although friable) and also cuts most super steels. Not as fast as many on the market, but a solid choice, nontheless. Another top choice, aside from shapton, would be the gritomatic silicone carbide 1k. That particular stone will sharpen ANY steel. I get better results from it, than any diamond plate I’ve tried. Then of course, there is the diamond resin stone from Venev. It’s hard, wears extremely slowly, diamond cuts everything, and requires little maintenance. My only issue with it is that it feels too glassy. Slick and ceramic like.
@@Jef Thank you for your insights. I will check out the gritimatic Sizc 1k. Would you say that's harder/better feedback than the sigma select II? I've already tried the king 1k and shapton glass. I also agree that resin bonded stones feel a bit slick, I have an NSK400 and it feels quite slick and slippery.
You mean the stone holder? They can be had in many places. Amazon, sharpening supplies . Com, chefknivestogo, korin. Just Google sharpening stone holder.
Hi! Long winded questions, if you don't mind: How would you rate the grit shedding of the 1k stones in this vid? I have a small 1k/6k Sigma Select 2 combo stone. I found the 1k side to dish relatively rapidly and it released tons of grit. Perhaps mine was from a softer batch. I have no idea. I am considering a Gritomatic 1k if it is more dish resistant than the Sigma, since I want a harder 1k SiC stone. In addition to that, I am wondering about the Gritomatic 2.5k vs the Sigma 3k and how those compare. If I were to purchase a 1k from Gritomatic, I am considering the 2.5k as well. Otherwise, I'll stick to my Sigma 1200 and get a 3k Sigma to match. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond.
Several people have told me the 1k Sigma is fairly soft. It sheds grit rapidly. My experience is NOTHING like that. The stone is hard, and though a bit friable, nothing I would describe as fast wearing. Just the opposite. I do not know if Sigma has changed the formula for these, or if I just happened to Receive an oddity. All that said, my stone, is hard, slow wearing, and not muddy. The Sigma 3k is a bit harder than the Gritomatic 1 and 2.5. Not by much. The 3k also polishes better than either of those stones. However, the Gritomatic stones, cut much faster, than the Sigma 3k. Always a trade off right? Hope that helps. Feel free to contact me, if ya have more questions 👍
The lower grit SPS-II stones are sensitive to the steel sharpened. When sharpening softer steels they will indeed mud up and dish relatively quickly. When sharpening the harder steels for which they were designed they wear more slowly. This is counter intuitive so some explanation is in order here. There are many forms of hardness testing, but many of the more common ones (including HRC) measure the depth to which a very hard object (diamond in the case of HRC) penetrates into the test material. Lower penetration depth means higher hardness. So, when you put a soft steel on these stones, the SiC grits penetrate deeply into the steel. This provides a very good grip for the steel to tear the grit away from its binder. And because the SPS-II stones have a very weak binder, the grit is easily pulled away from the binder. Because the abrasive penetrates harder steels to a lesser extent, they are less likely to pull the grits away from the binder. This is why you see such wildly differing reviews on these stones, and why it is so important to select the proper stones for your sharpening tasks! From what I understand the Gritomatic stones have a very hard binder so they should not exhibit similar problems shedding grit when used on softer steels. So if you are looking for a single stone to sharpen a wider range of steel types then go with the Gritomatic stones. If you want better cutting speed on extreme hardness steels, go with the SPS-II stones.
@@simonvolsmann I really need to unpack all my stuff. Most of my stones are still in boxes, from my move 2-3 yrs ago lol. I haven't seen my Sigma stones in a long, long time.
I got some of that cheapo Harbor Freight stuff. The main stuff I use is just Stropman's compounds. Dunno if they make it or source from somewhere else. I hear Bark River's is nice
@@Jef I love the Bark River White compound compared to many of the others that I have. I like it more than the good quality Green chromium oxide compound.
Hey jef were the close ups straight off the 1k? Which stone is more friable? And which do u reccomend??? And I need to go back to white compound. Have u seen luong la opinions on the balanced strop?
Yes straight off the stones. No stropping. Only the final 3k edge was magnified and stropped. The friability is actually about equal, though the Sigma is a bit messier, since it is a blueish swarf. Which do I recommend? As always it depends on the steel. Normal run of the mill Cpm variety, the Sigma is fine. I need to see what happens to Maxamet on this stone, since I have not tested it yet. Yes I saw his video on the "balanced" strop. His English is very difficult to understand, and he has problems finishing his train of thought. I can't say I understood much of what he was talking about.
@@hidude2124 i suspect it works better on harder surfaces, like basswood. i also suspect it is geared more for those guys doing ultra keen sharpening, like michael christy and super steel steve. those hair whittling edges require precision and leather isn't conducive for that sort of sharpening
@@Jef yea diamond and cbn sprays or emulsions usually do better on a hard surface. If there is just a bit of rounding or your angle is not 100% correct it will just take your aggressiveness right out with 1 or 2 strokes because it just cuts away way more material than compound. You really have to watch what you do with that stuff
Yea i didn't get into a true side by side comparison. I did however show microscope shots of both scratch patterns at 10:15 . They look pretty identical. Take that for what it's worth. The 3k from what I've seen, is nice. I haven't had much use with them, as I broke both bones in my ankle recently. Been out of commission from pretty much everything, for the last 2 months. Soon as I get out of this cast, I will get back in the swing of things, and maybe I can get some videos up showing this stuff off.
@@Jef thank you. I was just curious. I don't really deal with the high wear resistance stuff and even then my med crystolon/fine India takes care of it. I never feel a need to go to a finer grit besides nice Japanese kitchen knives
![[1] Search for the ULTIMATE WATER STONE - [Sigma Power Select II 240x]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/k1TblcXbHEg/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1] Search for the ULTIMATE WATER STONE - [Sigma Power Select II 240x]](/img/tr.png)
I feel like hearing the word "friable" in conversation is like a secret code word for sharpeners to recognize each other.
😂
Really consistent scratch patterns. Great control during sharpening. As usual I am impressed.
Thanks, Stefan. You're an icon in the world of sharpening, so I appreciate the kind words!
Man RIP
Enjoyed the video. The more I see that M.U.D.D. knife the more I like it. I've been looking at them on line but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
It's not a bad knife. Bit pricey, but the heat treat seems to be done well. Still ugly as sin :p
Just ordered my first gritomatic. I bought the 120 for doing the final shaping on high mc carbide steel kitchen knives ive been doing. Id definitely like to see how the gritomatic compares to the 240 sigma power select 2. Because ive heard that ones pretty good for what it is.
I’ve never used that Sigma stone. Do me a huge favor and report back the differences you see! 🤘
@@Jef ah. Nah, me neither.
Ive just heard its pretty ideal for those kind of jobs. Ill probably get it eventually. Ive just tried the shapton 120, and 220, all the norton oil stones (india, crystolon), cerax 320, the king 220, and 300, and idk im sure im forgetting some.
Crystolon and shapton pro 120 are still my favs. They just remove more material with out having to apply tons of pressure.
@@Jef i did like the shapton 120 a lot for that.
So the crystolon does remove material very well for the edge, but for thinning steels like 10v, it just isnt quite friable enough in my experience. But for edges it does do a great job.
I saw what you said in this one about the gritomatic not being super friable, which also makes sense with what they say on the site. That it only releases a lot of grit with softer steels, which has been my experience with other stones too.
Nice video man. Is that 3k silicon carbide? Does it cut vanadium steels?
I have heard conflic reports on what the stone is made of. Does it cut high carbide steel? From what i have tested, yes.
I saw a reply but it disappeared
@@Jef Looks like youtube nuked my comment. I said. Thanks man. I trust your feedback above anyone else online just had one more question for you. I was looking to add either the 3k sigma select or the suehiro g8 to my SIC progression, which consists of Shapton Pro 220 and 320, and a King Neo 800, which is an absolutely incredible stone, all time great imo up there with the 400 chosera, especially for the money. Between the G8 and the sigma, which one do you like more? Thanks.
@@Jef I only have the budget for one. Either one is going to run about $75. I guess you can throw the Gritomatic 2500 in there as well as a wildcard. I think all 3 are silicon carbide and they're all extra fine medium stones or close to finishing stones. I'd love to get all 3 of course, but I can't justify that. If you could only have one, which one do you think? How would you rank them.
Ooo tough question. If only one, id get the gritomatic 2500. Anything finer, i would use strops.
If you can afford both, the g8 is sic. Very fine finishing stone. More than the 3k sigma.
So yeah. Id do 2500 gritomatic, and if you can afford it, the g8 as well.
Is the sigma select II 1k quite a hard stone, and does it load up or dish quickly? How does it compare to other stones like shapton and naniwa pro? Looking to try a new 1k and this is one of the few ive never tried.
It is fairly hard yes. It isnt hard a shapton pro however. It is friable, so wear will occur. Just not at the rate of some of your softer stones. Wear will happen about as quickly as naniwa pro. Speed is faster than both. I can try to do a side by side video, if that would help.
@@Jef ah thanks for your reply. Would you say it's about as hard as a naniwa pro 800? I'm looking for a hard 1k stone apart from shapton if you had any recommendations based on your expirence?
Sigma select II is a solid choice. Cuts most super steels with no issue. There are tons of options you can go with. Shapton glass. Don’t under estimate the king deluxe 1k. It is hard (although friable) and also cuts most super steels. Not as fast as many on the market, but a solid choice, nontheless. Another top choice, aside from shapton, would be the gritomatic silicone carbide 1k. That particular stone will sharpen ANY steel. I get better results from it, than any diamond plate I’ve tried. Then of course, there is the diamond resin stone from Venev. It’s hard, wears extremely slowly, diamond cuts everything, and requires little maintenance. My only issue with it is that it feels too glassy. Slick and ceramic like.
@@Jef Thank you for your insights. I will check out the gritimatic Sizc 1k. Would you say that's harder/better feedback than the sigma select II? I've already tried the king 1k and shapton glass. I also agree that resin bonded stones feel a bit slick, I have an NSK400 and it feels quite slick and slippery.
Feedback and hardness about the same i would say. The sigma may have a slight more hardness.
What is your favorite strop and stropping compound
Dlt xl double sided strop
What is that mechanism you are placing the stone into? Where can I find one?
You mean the stone holder? They can be had in many places. Amazon, sharpening supplies . Com, chefknivestogo, korin. Just Google sharpening stone holder.
@@Jef Perfect! Thanks, Jef!
Hi! Long winded questions, if you don't mind:
How would you rate the grit shedding of the 1k stones in this vid? I have a small 1k/6k Sigma Select 2 combo stone. I found the 1k side to dish relatively rapidly and it released tons of grit. Perhaps mine was from a softer batch. I have no idea. I am considering a Gritomatic 1k if it is more dish resistant than the Sigma, since I want a harder 1k SiC stone.
In addition to that, I am wondering about the Gritomatic 2.5k vs the Sigma 3k and how those compare.
If I were to purchase a 1k from Gritomatic, I am considering the 2.5k as well. Otherwise, I'll stick to my Sigma 1200 and get a 3k Sigma to match.
Thanks for taking the time to read and respond.
Several people have told me the 1k Sigma is fairly soft. It sheds grit rapidly. My experience is NOTHING like that. The stone is hard, and though a bit friable, nothing I would describe as fast wearing. Just the opposite. I do not know if Sigma has changed the formula for these, or if I just happened to
Receive an oddity. All that said, my stone, is hard, slow wearing, and not muddy.
The Sigma 3k is a bit harder than the Gritomatic 1 and 2.5. Not by much. The 3k also polishes better than either of those stones. However, the Gritomatic stones, cut much faster, than the Sigma 3k. Always a trade off right?
Hope that helps. Feel free to contact me, if ya have more questions 👍
The lower grit SPS-II stones are sensitive to the steel sharpened. When sharpening softer steels they will indeed mud up and dish relatively quickly. When sharpening the harder steels for which they were designed they wear more slowly.
This is counter intuitive so some explanation is in order here. There are many forms of hardness testing, but many of the more common ones (including HRC) measure the depth to which a very hard object (diamond in the case of HRC) penetrates into the test material. Lower penetration depth means higher hardness. So, when you put a soft steel on these stones, the SiC grits penetrate deeply into the steel. This provides a very good grip for the steel to tear the grit away from its binder. And because the SPS-II stones have a very weak binder, the grit is easily pulled away from the binder. Because the abrasive penetrates harder steels to a lesser extent, they are less likely to pull the grits away from the binder.
This is why you see such wildly differing reviews on these stones, and why it is so important to select the proper stones for your sharpening tasks!
From what I understand the Gritomatic stones have a very hard binder so they should not exhibit similar problems shedding grit when used on softer steels. So if you are looking for a single stone to sharpen a wider range of steel types then go with the Gritomatic stones. If you want better cutting speed on extreme hardness steels, go with the SPS-II stones.
@@Jefi agree, my sigma select 1000 grit is absolutely not soft and friable, its a great Stone, a bit thirsty thats all
@@simonvolsmann I really need to unpack all my stuff. Most of my stones are still in boxes, from my move 2-3 yrs ago lol. I haven't seen my Sigma stones in a long, long time.
@@rockets4kids That's correct. I have the sigma 1k & 3k, The 1k gets very muddy with soft steel but is great for hard steel.
Great looking edge man!
thank you!
Nice work Jef! What white compound do you use or have used? I have some Enkay White Compound
I got some of that cheapo Harbor Freight stuff. The main stuff I use is just Stropman's compounds. Dunno if they make it or source from somewhere else. I hear Bark River's is nice
@@Jef I love the Bark River White compound compared to many of the others that I have. I like it more than the good quality Green chromium oxide compound.
I am over here searching for hidden messages like a crack head. haha! But seriously that 3k looked pretty sweet.
Rofl If I do something like that again, I will give you guys a heads up on a video letting you know to watch.
Random question. I got the Smith's Tri sharpener you suggested. I am not sure how to clean it after use though. Any advice?
Brillo pad and bartenders friend/ajax :)
@@Jef Thank you :)
Hey jef were the close ups straight off the 1k? Which stone is more friable? And which do u reccomend??? And I need to go back to white compound. Have u seen luong la opinions on the balanced strop?
Had to ask because the scratch pattern were near identical. Wow also speed???
Yes straight off the stones. No stropping. Only the final 3k edge was magnified and stropped.
The friability is actually about equal, though the Sigma is a bit messier, since it is a blueish swarf. Which do I recommend? As always it depends on the steel. Normal run of the mill Cpm variety, the Sigma is fine. I need to see what happens to Maxamet on this stone, since I have not tested it yet.
Yes I saw his video on the "balanced" strop. His English is very difficult to understand, and he has problems finishing his train of thought. I can't say I understood much of what he was talking about.
@@Jef do speed was equal as well??? I dont know which to get jef help me out. Or I'll just watch a few more of your vids and an answer that way.
@@dombond6515 yes about equal, though gritomatic was about 8-10 passes quicker. just go with gritomatic imo. it sharpens all steels
Did awesome don't see any where u didn't stay on the bevel maybe some day I'll get there lol
Just takes practice :) If I can do it ANYONE can
Pretty good edge mate 😊
Yea it came out pretty good 👌.
@@Jef yes sir
What’s your thoughts on the white compound?
I expressed my thoughts in the video 😝
I think white compound is as good as I will ever need. Everything else is over priced and doesn’t work as well
Jef Jewell yeah sorry bout that. I wonder what’s happening bout the cbn
@@hidude2124 i suspect it works better on harder surfaces, like basswood. i also suspect it is geared more for those guys doing ultra keen sharpening, like michael christy and super steel steve. those hair whittling edges require precision and leather isn't conducive for that sort of sharpening
@@Jef yea diamond and cbn sprays or emulsions usually do better on a hard surface. If there is just a bit of rounding or your angle is not 100% correct it will just take your aggressiveness right out with 1 or 2 strokes because it just cuts away way more material than compound. You really have to watch what you do with that stuff
@camora kidd that is what I pictured in my mind. Ultra hard abrasive, and soft leather rounding the apex. There goes the bite 👋
You never really compared the two 1k stones....
By the way I have that 3k stone. It's awesome as a final edge on Japanese kitchen knives
Yea i didn't get into a true side by side comparison. I did however show microscope shots of both scratch patterns at 10:15 . They look pretty identical. Take that for what it's worth.
The 3k from what I've seen, is nice. I haven't had much use with them, as I broke both bones in my ankle recently. Been out of commission from pretty much everything, for the last 2 months. Soon as I get out of this cast, I will get back in the swing of things, and maybe I can get some videos up showing this stuff off.
@@Jef thank you. I was just curious. I don't really deal with the high wear resistance stuff and even then my med crystolon/fine India takes care of it.
I never feel a need to go to a finer grit besides nice Japanese kitchen knives