I am not a beginner and a experienced machinist/ mechanic I am starting all over at 65 to be a better sharpener because of your videos. YOU ARE THE BEST ON UA-cam IMO !!
You’re right about these being the best sharpening reviews on UA-cam. Straight up honest opinions from a guy who’s actually using the products/techniques and paying for them out of his own pocket. Not some shill that’s getting a kickback for suckering people into buying junk they don’t want or need. I stumbled (and subbed) onto this channel a few months ago and have found lots of good content. He seems to actually read the comments and addresses points brought up there in his videos. I appreciate that he knows and shows what does AND doesn’t work and is willing to demonstrate and experiment. My own sharpening skills and tools (found out about dmt products here) have both benefited from watching him. If you need proof that he knows what he’s doing just check out the close ups, I wish I could view my own work like that.
You'll find it a rewarding hobby/skill. Maintain the same angle for your passes would be my most important point. You'll get the knack quick and really appreciate the steels differences. It's kind of relaxing with time in on it.
I picked up the 400/1000 diamond and 1000 shapton because of you 2 weeks back, and I have some balsa wood and dmt 3 micron paste on order now. One thing you have not covered are flattening and dressing / cleaning stone. Any products there that you can recommend, especially for the shapton 1k and potentially 2k in the future?
Fuck yeah dude. Before I started watching his stuff I was dulling knives on a stone instead of sharpening them, now I can get a real nice edge with diamond stones
I picked up the Koramaku 1000, 2000 and 5000 on your recommendation. I use them with my Japanese kitchen knives of various steels up to HAP40 and they do a great job. Thanks for your videos, they seem like good honest advice from someone who knows what they're talking about, and not just intended to sell a product.
@@kristianandersen5732i went 320, 1000, 2000, 5000, and 12000. I'm really new to using whetstones, and for the knives i use, I'm pretty much going with the 1k or 2k to finish the edge. But in my job i use wood chisels, so the 5000 and 12k are nice to give it a super fine edge and that mirror look
ahem, it's 黒幕 kuromaku that translate directly to black veil, or more accurately refer to mastermind/behind the scene because they're supporting knife so that they can shine
Alex you are the real deal! I wish I could trust other channels half as much. I bought the S SATC stone, made a strop out of some belt leather, and use some polishing compound on it. That and your tips on keeping the wrists locked have made so much difference in my sharpening ability. I was hardly ever able to get shaving sharp after a ton of work, but now I've been able to sharpen most of my knifes to shaving sharp in a few minutes. My next investment is definitely going to be the diamond compound.
As a beginner my beginner advice would be: buy a course stone. I had recently bought the shapton koramaku 1000 as my first stone, mostly because of your recomendation. I started out on the dull kitchen knives I had because I didn't have any experience yet and didnt want to dull my knives that where decently sharp. Couldn't figure out why I could not get a burr to form. I thought I must be doing something wrong. Turns out my knives where just extremely dull and after two hours(!) of sharpening I finally got a burr and eventualy got it shaving sharp. The correct grit to start on probably would have been 100. I think a lot of beginners who have never sharpened before are likely to have extremely dull knives that they continue using until they decide to buy a new one and chuck the old one in the drawer.
The burr is the key. No burr, no sharp. Once people get a burr, the world will never be the same. I'd always get coarse diamond first, though, since they cut much faster.
When I started out, I did not take the advance of buying just a single 1000 grit stone. I'm pretty familiar with abrasives due to my experience in different trades, mostly sandpaper, files, scotch pads, and cutting compound. Nobody goes out and buys 1000 grit sandpaper and uses it for every job out there. Giving the advice to only buy a 1000 grit whetstone and use it to sharpen every knife you have is like telling someone to buy a spade and use that to dig every hole you need. Or to buy a single general purpose hammer and use it for every job that needs a hammer. Some jobs need a drilling hammer or a sledge, and some jobs need a ditch witch or an excavator. A lot of people also recommend buying cheap whetstones like Kings, which wear fast and dish, and then move to a better quality. That doesn't make sense to me; why spend $30 on a whetstone, only to replace it when you wear through with another higher quality stone that costs $50. You just spent $70 when you could have just bought the quality stone at $50, learned to care for it and benefited from the higher quality, the harder wearing, the feedback and the better performance. So, I think the most appropriate advice to give to a beginner is to buy a set of quality whetstones to start. Buy a coarse, a finer grit and something in between. I've had luck with 320, 500, and 2000 on the Shapton Rock Star line. Shapton Kuromaku 220 or 320, 1000 and the 2000 are a good set. Naniwa S2 Advance 220, 400 and 1000 are another. These are great because you can repair a damaged knife and set a new bevel with the 220/320 grit stones, or quickly sharpen a very dull knife with the 400, 500, and sharpen to a good cutting edge with the 1000/2000. If you have to start at the 220/320, it's good to have an intermediate step to make it to the end. Some knives don't need 320 and can benefit by starting with 400/500 or even 1000. Some of these stones are also not truly at their marked grit and may be more or less coarse/fine. I would also encourage beginners to buy a bunch of cheap knives from websites or at sporting good stores to practice technique before sharpening or repairing good, expensive knives.
Definitely get the diamond cheap stone he recommended. I also have the 1000 stone and the cheap whet stones. I got a burr so fast with the diamond, it really was an eye opener. He's totally right that that's the stone to learn from starting out. Now i have a strop and need to work on getting hair shaving results.
Good that you didn’t give up. Get the Alex recommended diamond plates and it will be fast. I have used mine at a family member’s house who wrecks knives and it cuts well. I want to get the dmt. Good luck.
@@testboga5991You dont need a burr to get a knive sharp. You need to align two bevels at the apex, not to overgrind them making a burr which youll have to remove later.
@@BloodSprite-tan YES! im having a hard time finding a diamond compound paste like used in the videos in Amazon UK. not sure what micron should i buy first as my first paste?
@@nicosalfos like the video suggest you should look for 6 micron diamond, it doesn't have to be paste you could get it from any available source. like spray powder etc. If you can't find anything you could always just use the green chromium oxide, but I wouldn't bother with a nice strop if you do so. you could just put green compound on mdf or other porous soft wood surfaces. since it needs to be scrapped off and replaced more often.
Thank you for your videos! I have been sharpening knives all my life. At first a little carborundum stone and a strop loaded with jewlers rouge. With my father's instruction circa 1972. Moved to moon stick and then later diamond stones. A couple of months ago I purchased Koramaku 1000 and 5000 stones. Holy smokes they work better than anything I have ever used. I just ordered a 2000 grit. Should be here next week. BTW the diamond paste strop is working great for me as well !
I've made all of the mistakes you've said to avoid and this advice rings very true and accurate. I still make the jump from the 1000 Shapton Kuromaku to the 5000, but I agree that an in-between stone would make the 5000 much easier. I've been looking to replace my very cheap and messy coarse stone and you've convinced me to go with a diamond plate. Awesome video. Thank you!
Would you mind making a video focused on kitchen knife sharpening (not only on what setup to use, but what angle favours secondary geometry and edge retention and how to homogenously sharpen a long blade)
I've bought all your recommendations, up to Number 3! Also made my own strop. I don't use high end steels, mainly basic carbon steel. I am bringing all my knives, including kitchen knives, up to an enjoyable sharpness. Thanks for all your advice! Take care, Eddie.
00:36 🪨 First thing you need to buy: Coarse grit profiling Stone, preferably Diamond, for efficient material removal and establishing initial bevel. 02:57 💎 Second thing you need to buy: 6 Micron Diamond strop for achieving extremely sharp edges, preferably homemade for cost-effectiveness. 04:36 🛠 Third thing you need to buy: Intermediate stone like the Shapton Kuromaku 1000 for regular sharpening needs, offering versatility for various steel types. 06:59 💰 Fourth thing you need to buy: High-end stone like Nano Hone resin-bonded Diamond Stone or Shapton Kuromaku 2000 for refining edges of super steels, ensuring full benefit from premium steel investments. 11:15 🔁 Recap of EXACTLY what you need as a beginner: Start with a 400 grit Diamond Stone, followed by Diamond strops (6 Micron, 10 Micron, 8 Micron), then progress to a 1000 grit intermediate stone. Only consider higher grit stones once proficient with coarse grits to avoid wasting money.
I've been trying to learn how to sharpen my own kitchen knives instead of paying other people to do it, and your videos have been very educational. Thank you for your hard work.
Thanks man! Bought a 20€ diamond stone and a Sharpal leather strop. Finally I am able to sharpen my knifes after a lot of failed attempts with whetstones and other sharpening tools!
I went backwards a bit as i bought the DMT Fine plate before i purchased the DMT extra coarse plate. I am still breaking in the extra coarse plate, but I am really liking how fast I can get a burr i can feel with the extra coarse plate. I also found one of your older videos on cleaning strops so I cleaned all the gunked up green compound off the strop, gave it a quick sand with 150grit sandpaper and loaded it with 6 micron DMT diamond paste. That old strop works so well that i almost cant believe it.
I have used all the stones you mention here and may others. I think you are spot on with your recommendations. I may replace the 400 diamond with the Atoma 400, but it's a lot more expensive, and not necessary. Those Naniwa resin bond plates are amazing. If they made one at 10,000 grit I would use them exclusively for my woodworking tools. What you say about getting an edge on the 400 grit before moving on is key. Took me a while to learn that. Excellent informative and accurate video.
I was so nervous when I saw this video because I just got a stone I ordered yesterday, but then it was the one you said you recommend buying first and I was relieved! I am pretty good at sharpening, I was raised doing it, but I really don't know much about stones. Love your videos!
Man I've been watching you for years and I just gotta say that your videos have come a really long way. As far as communication, production quality , and just everything in general. Good job on always improving yourself and your product
Great Video! After having these two-sided sharpening stones from amazon for quite some time, I now got the Shapton Pro 1000 and it works great! Next up will be a cheaper 400/1000 diamond stone. One suggestion for an upcoming video: it would be nice if you could show how to keep the correct angle on longer knives, especially ones that have more of a curve to them like traditional chefs knives. I struggle a bit there on the rounded part. Also it would be interesting to do some comparison of all the tricks that are floating around: using a stack of coins/using an angle guide etc. I made myself some wooden ramps in the correct angle to make sure I am consistent. For the coin/thumb trick I suspect that this might work on some knives but not ones with a wide or narrow blade.
Your channel is by far the very definition of essential, clear and honest information on sharpening. Simply put, you made a very saturated topic abundantly clear for this viewer and you've gotten yourself another subscriber. Keep it up and power through
Man, I’ve just found you like a week ago. You, Sir, are a gem, when it comes to quality info about sharpening. If or whenever you’ll get all the scratch marks out of this topic , just keep the attitude in whichever endeavours you choose next. I wish you well.
I'm using these as reference because of a random hair to get into sharpening. No strop because I just wanted to try my hand at it and still getting stupid clean lines in paper cardboard paper towels even. I notice dulling after a bit most likely because of that burr but needed to get some more references past the ~1000 grit stage too lol. I love these kind of recommendations for getting into things and investing and what priority because it helps when you need some direction. I'm currently getting the kind of sharp that with a little pressure just glides through stuff. I want to get some psychotically sharp.
Excellent video. I especially appreciate the simplicity and directness. Thank you. P.S. Would you consider doing a video on sharpening convex edges just using strops? I have a bunch of knives that are in CMP 3V with convexed edges.
Ive been sharpening by hand since around 2005 and ive owned and used all kinds of stones. I once thought that DMT was the best until i got an Atoma diamond stone. Nothing compares. Nothing. Its the best. I got a 140 and a 600 grit and within no time you can slap an edge on anything. Then i got to a 1200 grit diamond very quickly and lightly and then a 5000 grit whetstone to polish and a very light pass on a strop afterwards. Hair whittling stuff within a few minutes. Just dont make a burr with the first two diamond stones. Take it very very close tho
Holy shit Alex! Another gem to the knife-sharpening community! Super straight to the point, easy to understand and as always incredibly good advice.. Please keep blessing us with your knowledge/experience!
Your channel is great and has been super inspiring in educating myself on sharpening. Also love your approach for giving advice and testing products, including clever DIY and budget options.
A year or two back, i bought myself an Arkansas stone with a budding interest in sharpening things as an extension of my solidifying interest in tools which eventually leads to an interest in something bladed. I couldn't for the life of me get anything done with it, not even a simple chisel and quickly gave up. Today I found that abandoned stone, and decided this would be my time to lock in and actually learn. I feel like your videos have the best array of tips for where to start, and after binging on a boring day I'll be starting with the DMT Extra Coarse, Kuromaku 1000 and a lenght of leather to make my strop+compound. Thanks so muuch for the body of knowledge! I went ahead with the second stone upfront as a sort of "sunk cost" to give me one more reason to hang in there until I get it this time though I really think my issue before was I didnt do the research (iirc, I was trying to use the Arkansas stone dry).
Great job, again, thank you. Short yet detailed, to the point but thoroughly explained. Much appreciated. Here is an idea, you made diy strop video, what about strop maintenance one? Cleaning, reapplying, when to do so, how, why... ?
Rinse with water and give it some random passes with the diamond plate. Use a pencil to scribble the top, run the plate over it, and you'll see if it's flat or not. Too easy.
@@silvermediastudio Most ppl starting out & in general don't own a diamond plate tho, they are really expensive for just flattening & are hard to rationalize buying when u can get multiple whetstones for the same price. I've been buying knives for year and don't have one. it's not needed
@@solosamuraiz1526 SATC Diamond Sharpening Stone 2 Side Grit 400/1000 Diamond Plate is $22 on Amazon. Stop making excuses. Your comment is the only thing not needed here.
This is a great video for anyone who is starting out... I remember when I was learning how to sharpen I would frequently end up with a beautiful mirror-polished bevel on a knife that wasn't properly apexed so it was still rather dull.
I personally like the smaller size plates. especially if the majority of your knives are folding pocket knives and even for up to 5-6" hunting knives. I think it makes it more affordable to get better quality abrasives. I also prefer the feel and feedback of holding the stone in one hand and the knife in the other and the smaller stones are more manageable in the hand. I really like the DMT double-sided diasharp plates. One plate with diamond coarse and fine is a pretty good sweet spot. I feel like the dmt coarse is already a really fast cutter that even with really hard maxamet-class steel there is little need for the extra-coarse. Then the fine side allows you to refine a bit. In fact i will typically go to the fine side for the bur minimization after grinding on coarse. For a second stone, i like the Venev Cerberus Dog Series Dual Side Diamond plates. Again, it's a two-sided stone, so you don't have to trade off skipping grit sizes for economy. after a DMT fine, i think the venev 400-800 or 800-1200 makes a good refinement stone.
Good stuff, Alex! I've said for years that virtually all the actual sharpening is done on the first stone. If you're not shaving-sharp off the arato there's no point to moving on to another stone. I don't know what percentage of users are doing S110V, Maxamet, etc. most of the time? I have some of those knives but I'm a chef so most of my knives are Aogami, AEB-L or one of the Hitachi White steels. A couple of my gyutos are "super steel" and those respond well to diamonds or one of the Shapton lines. Honestly, for the more 'pedestrian' steels I could get by with my Atoma 140 diamond, 320 Shapton Pro and Naniwa Green Brick, although for my money the best single stone out there is the Naniwa 1k...at least if you're not doing Maxamet, HAP40, etc.
Isn't the shapton 320 pro too coarse? I have a 2000 pro and need something coarser, the 1000 pro is nowhere to be found, only the 320 pro and 500 glass.
I have a question but before I'll ask it I'd like to tell my story. I'll try to keep it short but will probably fail, so forgive me :) My journey has been like this: I was annoyed with the dull knives in the house and thought it was a good investment to buy some more quality knives. My wife bought me a set of Zwilling knives but I didn't use them that much because I was afraid of them getting dull. So then my wife bought me the typical two sided aluminum oxide stone and that's when I got into sharpening. I really like the idea of being self maintained, but didn't want to ruin my 'good' knives so I collected lots of poor knives to practice on. That's when I found your channel. I bought a work sharp precision set to correct my messed up angles. Then I bought a spyderco ceramic medium as my 'new stone' after you recommended it (it's good but it gets clogged up and then it is pretty much useless) Then a DMT coarse stone came and I learned that I could get things very sharp with just that stone and my strop (although I just use cheap aluminum oxide compound) I felt I was lacking finer stones so then I bought the DMT medium and fine (which I don't use that much). The medium and fine stones felt like they didn't make that much of a difference. I don't microscope my edges, I'm just checking if if my knife is sharp, which it is already on the coarse stone plus strop. Then I also bought a Shapton Glass 1000. I absolutely love this stone purely because of the white color and you can see it is still moving material like scratching with a pencil on a white paper. It does clough up though, so then I also bought a Naninwa dressing stone to clean it up (which I also love btw) That last one might only be for the visuals, I don't know, but it looks like it is an important part of the process. Now here's my question finally: I learned that I can get my knives very sharp with just the coarse diamond and strop. I know that you can refine your edges with finer grids, but what's the benefit? If I'm not microscoping my edges, why would I bother to continue working towards finer grids? I'm sharpening my kitchen knives and not foldable razor blades or anything like that.
"why would I bother to continue working towards finer grids?" I want to know that too. Is going finer just cosmetic, for that mirror-bright finish, or does it make a functional difference?
There’s truly no point unless you have a very specific use for 100k edges; such as a master surgeon who happens to sharpens his own scalpels, which is highly improbable. ;) Or you just do it as a hobby or because you can do it. That’s why I used to do it a lot, because I can. It’s a skill, yes, and one that takes a lot of practice to truly master but it’s also one of extremely limited benefit and practical use. I used to take my knives to ridiculous levels (the waterstones would stop at around 1 micron/15k, then waterstone powders for polishing out polishing defects from the stone itself, and then it would be Diamond pastes) but in the end I stopped doing it because 100k edges don’t cut rope, or anything in the real world, like a highly refined 600 grit edge. I still mirror polish all the bevels (powders included, lol) but then I apply a tiny micro bevel (at the degrees I want as the secondary bevel has been reduced to account for it) on a 600 stone. However, this isn’t necessary every time I need to sharpen a knife…only every so often. Sometimes I’ll do some light and careful stropping (4-6 pps) on a 5 micron Diamond paste loaded piece of hardwood, but it depends on what I want to cut. My knife bevels are generally made into a flawless mirror and you even can’t see the Micro as it’s so small. Yet, it slices/pushes through anything with ease and due to the tiny micro its edge retention surpasses any zero grind by many many times. I do this on all blade types; flat, scandi, convex, sabre, hollow, and compound grinds; knives, daggers, machetes, and swords. They can still whittle beard hairs fairly easily but not always, if that tells you anything. They all shave. Shaving hairs is quite easy and not really proof of sharpness as even reasonably dull knives (by my own standards anyways) can still give the impression, especially on film, of shaving sharp. For the record, I use the plateau sharpening method almost exclusively. Among other things it allows me to have the cutting apex at a different grit than the bevel itself; it’s faster, it wastes no metal with burr formation and removal, and is just plain better. Some other info that may be of interest… Burrs are sharpening the metal so much that you’ve collapsed the apex and so need to flip sides to correct it. Only to create yet another burr, wasting metal and reducing the life of the knife. It comes from misinformation from people who, honestly, believe they know what they’re doing and it’s also so terribly ingrained into people that it passes from one generation to the next unnoticed. Zero grinds are nonsense and fragile and the idea stems from misinformation as even traditional Scandis (in Scandinavia) aren’t zero grind, they never have been…unless adopted. It’s an American thing and a silly one at that. If you strop, your blades aren’t zero grind. It’s pretty much that simple. If you’re interested check out “Cliff Stamp Plateau Sharpening” and you’ll find theory behind it. He also has a ton of other science based info on his channel and website. You’ll learn more from Cliff (RIP) than anyone else I can assure you. RonaldZaZ, specifically… Use the DMT coarse to flatten the Shapton. It’s an ideal grit to use as a flattening stone on a 1k Shapton. Draw pencil lines in a grid on the Shapton and start. You’ll see some are removed while others are not; those others are low spots in the stone and you need to keep at it until all pencil marks are removed. You’ll have a perfectly flat stone in the end. Use plenty of water and don’t be heavy handed with Diamond plates as they can wear out prematurely.
I love that for mere mortals such as me, you recommend a single stone & grit. That's what I've been using but was self conscious I should be using more stuff. I'll keep watching your tutorials & get my technique better rather than buying more kit 🙏👍🏻
Excellent video. Well produced, direct to the point and no adds or promotions of shady companies with crappy products. Thank you for your recommendations! One friendly suggestion: maybe try putting the scale of the amplification when you zoom into the edge of the knives? Not necessary, but I think it'd be a nice touch to make your videos look even more professional.
THANK you, Alex, for this series of sharpening videos! Although I use a KME, I find your videos to be incredibly informative, well structured, and very well presented. I ALWAYS learn new things when I watch your videos. Plus, they are entertaining, as well!!
I took your advice on diamond stones and ordered a DMT 3 stone set (coarse/325 mesh/ 45 micron, fine/ 600 mesh/ 25 micron and extra fine/ 1200 mesh/ 9 micron), a suede/ smooth strop (came with green honing wax) and the yellow 3 micron DMT Dia-sharp honing paste. Only spend around $140. I've had shaving sharp before but not hair whittling sharp. Now my chef's knife is literally hair whittling and it didn't take but 5 minutes or so! Doubtful I'll need another stone for the rest of my life (not a knife aficionado, just need a sharp kitchen and survival/camping knife). Thanks so much!
After watching your videos i purchased a three pack of the Ultra Sharp diamond stones. I just received them and i have to say, i am impressed. The quality appears to be excellent. They are made in the USA. They are heavy. I have a huge knife collection and im sick of not being able to sharpen them well. Hopefully, with the help of your video's, i can figure this out. Thank you.
It certainly feels like there is a big interest in the community for this knowledge - myself included! Love the videos and this exact one is a must watch. I was just about to order some stuff based on your other videos and this just made the decision process so much easier. Thank you. Seriously.
I don't know if I consider myself a beginner, but I rarely go through each grade of grits/materials on my knives if they are regularly maintained. I am a working Chef, I usually do the extra fine dmt(green), then leather strop(no compound). Some blades I need super fine and biting, some blades I need for chopping(santoku or nakiri). For chopping knives I do a more rounded bevel for the constant hammering. For the rounded bevel I will use a ceramic whetstone to a rough strop(with diamond compound). The metals for most of my chef knives is s35vn and vg10(most japanese companies use a form of vg10 or bd1)
Sharpening stones can be a rabbit hole. I learned how to sharpen on a little pocket stone. I have many stones, even one I found on the ground I flattened it and it works great on the small Texas toothpicks and similar sized blades. Cool video!
I was wondering if you could do a video one day talking about sharpening larger blades I have been working on restoring a old hickory style knife and a machete and honestly I could use some tips
I'm not the guy you asked, but you can work on the knife in sections or hold the knife at a diagonal orientation and sharpen along the length of the stone, pulling the knife as you go. May still have to work in sections.
my main tip would be to use blade files or get the ken onion work sharp. I hate to say that it is super hard to use a big stone to sharpen such a long edge. there are dmt diamond files. which are the more affordable option, but if you have the spare cash, the worksharp is stupidly easy and fast. if you want more out of it you can get very high quality belts from Micro Surfaces in most of the necessary grits. the other option would be to build a jig I guess. i have multiple machetes and frankly the work sharp chews through the steel with little effort.
Recently got a Shapton Glass 1000 and been using it to mantain my Mora knives and my leatherman multitools. So far, great results. First ever stone and still learning, but managed to get the edges to shaving sharp and its just VERY satisfying.
Great video! I just discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago, but I have seen a lot of your videos already and find them very educational. What I think would be great to add is the magnification size you are using for each shot, at least for me it's hard to grasp how magnified a certain shot is, would help a lot to actually see the actual number into a corner, especially when comparing, since it looks that sometimes one image is more magnified than the other. Well, keep up the great work!
I started out freehand and bought most of these recommendations and had great results. I'm glad I learned to freehand sharpen. I did finally get the newest version Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Tool, complete angle adjustable knife sharpening system. Being able to use the digital angle finder to the exact degree you want has been a game changing. I rarely use the freehand stones anymore. So now looking back I would just get this newest Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust or the KME. This is just my personal opinion after trying everything mentioned and more. The newest digital guided Sharpeners are more precise at exact angles and also faster in my opinion. Stick with what works best for you. Also have fun and enjoy your knives while building skills.
I just got the DMT extra course off the back of one of your other videos. Absolute n00b beginner here. Excited to give it a try when it arrives. Thanks so much for your help, you are a fantastic educator and your knowledge is the best kind, that gained through trial and error.
What would you bring in the bush for edge maintenance inclunding dings ? I make camping videos and often dig firepits with my machetes. Would LOVE a dedicated video, as you're a sharpening master and UL enthusiast !
I know you weren't asking me, but Sharpal makes a good set of credit card sized diamond stone "plates" that you can carry in your wallet for those situations.
For "digging edges" like on shovels or the upper edge of a machete that see dirt often I carry a small file, about 6 inches or less, my pocket carry one is a Nicolson ignition file, 5-1/4 inch, tungsten point file model 02375NN, cuts most anything and takes nicks out fast (note: that is 5-1/4 overall, it's tiny and thin and will flex). Practice a bit before you use it on your favorite tool, holding the angle takes practise with the short file.
Thanks, guys ! For now, I mostly : - Don't do anything and leave the digging portion blunt. - Use a pull-through sharpener on the edge - Use a full-size metal file OR a piece of sandpaper layed upon my palm (gloves on 😅) Seeing Alex's videos on pull through sharpeners, I stopped using mine. Thinking the most ultralight way would be pieces of sandpaper and leather, layed on top of my thigh (dragging motion, not shaving motion... 😅) Alex, I'm curious what your take is ! 🫡
Amazing video Alex! I have bean watching your content for a couple of months now and I love this channel. This is what helped me learn all if my knife sharpening skills, not that I'm very good at sharpening, I'm only 13. I have a question for a set of stones, they have the same design of the 400 grit one in the video, I'd like to know if they would be usable or if they would just be cheap stones trying to be something they aren't, if you have something i could send you the links to like discord please let me know so I could send you the links. Have a great day!
I picked up that course diamond stone you recommended. It's literally night and day. I would spend an hour sharpening my knives before, and never realised that having a good course stone to apex first was key. I spent about a minute and got hair whittling results. That's really what I wanted, something to quickly get a good edge and do some cooking. Thank you for making this great content
You mentioned about using the Kuromaku stones in series and not skipping grits. Can you see a different between the scratch pattern of a 5000 grit after 1000, Vs a 5000 grit after a 2000? Or are you simply referring to the time it takes to refine the pattern up to the 5000 grit? If you can see a difference it would be great if you could let us see your close-ups! *as a side note, buying a jewellers loupe/magnifying glass was one of the best investments I made when learning to sharpen, I can only imagine how useful your setup is!
I think he means you don't want to start with 220 and jump to 5000. Since the 220 is very coarse, and the 5000 very fine, it's gonna take quite a while for the 5000 to sand down the scratches from the 220. So, therefore it's a wiser investment to go from a 220 to a 1000 to a 3000 to a 5000. Don't think you'll see a difference, just the scratch pattern from the last stone you used.
I started with a "kit" on Amazon, made up of the same diamond 400/1000 grit Chinese sharpening stone, and a 3000/8000 dual-sided, dual-color crap stone (the 8000 side started having large grooves almost immediately). Of course I was bad at sharpening, so I think it was a good purchase to identify my mistakes, with a great help from your videos. I'm sharpening stainless steel kitchen knives. I like them sharp. I like it when it just slides through veggies with no squishing and no sliding (that can end up with cuts). I've now spent more on the stones (that Amazon kit, half of which is in the garbage, and then the Kuromaku 2000 and 5000). I have no strop, since I have a lower goal of sharpness. I know that stainless till that can easily shave hair, will get duller after just 2 uses. WIth the Kuromaku 2000 and 5000, and a slightly improved technique, I managed to produce shaving razors out of 1.4116 Krupp steel quite easily. I will probably not use the diamond 400/1000 ones, since the Kuromaku 2000 removes enough material to keep them sharp over time. I only needed the 400 in order to fix a chipping of a knife. I think I'm happy with my setup now. I just need to figure out the instructions for the Kuromaku 5000, with "lapping" and other things that I'll eventually need to do.
i think you should try a strop. based on what i'm learning from our guy Outdoors55--not from experience--your knives won't get dull after 2 uses because of steel quality, it's because the burr isn't being fully removed, so the burr is doing the cutting right after sharpening, and then it gets rolled over (not the same as a rolled edge). any chance you might know someone that has one you could try, if the cost is a concern? he also mentions making your own from a piece of wood and a piece of leather.
@@adfaklsdjfin a pinch, you can strop directly on wood like a cutting board. It'll take longer but you can remove that burr. And yes, its the burr cutting and getting folded over the sharp knife point which makes it feels dull.. those oldschool knife irons literally existed to try to remove that burr, though less effective than a strop. Strop and you will not need another stone for kitchen knives, I promise.
You made me finally achieve a hair whittling edge. I watched you videos on strops and said ok you talked me into it. I got 6 and 1 micron diamond powder so I cleaned my strops and took the time to do it. I got it to cut and whittle hair but not with the ease you show. So I went back and watched a few more of your videos. I didn't bother to follow my scratch patterns so ill be doing that next. Your dragging me into the hair whittling sharp realm. My hair is pretty short. My niece was over who has long red hair...😅
I bought what seems to be the European market version of the S SATC stone and a leather strop (as the belt kits you recommended from the strop making video are unavailable here) and am using the trend mirror paste and got paper cutting sharpness on knives that had almost no bevel left. It's absolutely fantastic.
@@smrsgv unfortunately I can't as Alex has disabled the posting of links in his comment sections (I just spent 20 minutes writing a reply to your comment with all the links and lost it).
@@susceptibility_ On Am@zon UK (can't spell the name of the site because UA-cam blocks it). Kalolary for the sharpening stone, BeaverCraft Stropping Leather and Trend Mirror paste as the abrasive
I sharpen kitchen, Scandi Mora garden, and D2 edc knives and mostly use Shapton glass 320, 2000, 4000 and Atoma aluminium 400 1200 all work great. When I find a Shapton glass 1000 will pick up one too
I picked up the four stone set of Dia-sharp DMT stones from sharpening supplies and they are awesome. The kit comes with stones in 220grit, 325grit, 600grit, and 1200grit. They also have a really nice stone holder for about $35 and I also picked that up. I bought this set after spending about a year using shapton ceramic stones. I taught myself how to sharpen by hand with shapton stones, mostly using kitchen knives. As of the last few years I've gotten into higher end edc knives and that's what prompted the stone upgrade. Some of these newer super steels are just ridiculously hard and their vanadium content is high. Having said that, they are no match for the diamond stones!! In addition, I think a good strop and some proper diamond emulsion is actually far more important than most people realize. I think a quality stropping rig gets overlooked by a lot of people and that's a mistake. A two sided strop, rough on both sides, with some gunny juice is perfect. I like rough sided because it holds emulsion better. I use a 4 micron on one side and a 0.5 micron on the other and my edges will usually whittle a hair. You don't have to use Gunny Juice, that's just one option, I frequently use Jende Max, and it works just fine.
I think the Shapton 1000 (see internet videos showing this) is more like a 800 grit stone which makes it almost a given that you use the 2000 grit stone before moving on to the 5000 . Depending on what your sharpening 5000 really isn`t needed . I have the 5000 shapton(now broken after it fell to the ground , but still usable . in 2) I now stop with the 2000 grit Shapton (on kitchen knives)and strop it with diamond paste up to 14K and that works very good ,imo . Thanks for the video , you do very nice work sharing what you know to the world ...
My dad showed me when i was very young how to sharpen a blade. He never mentioned a burr and apex. 50 years later I see your videos. That explains The science of proper sharp edges. Too bad UA-cam wasn’t available in the sixties. 😊
This recommendation is 100% spot on. When I got started 2000ish I fooled around with some junk. Eventually got a Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker and that was great (still works today). Never bought in to the Lansky system which a few guys had but they took forever and were fiddly. By 2005 or 2006 I stepped up and got a 300/1000 diamond stone and suddenly my sharpening time was down to two minutes not twenty. I was using a similar strop on a 1x1 with the green 1micron compound. Eventually I picked up the 1000mesh Shapton glass ceramic and while it's great for the larger blades and high carbon Japanese stuff, I rarely use it anymore. I think the diamond paste is where I need to go next.
Just had 0.5 and 0.1 micron paste arrive yesterday, in the process of making 2 better strops than my last strop. your advice and macro lens closeups are amazing, and I also picked up that jewellers' loupe a couple years back too! You're a legend
You are responsible for my most recent $100 Amazon order! Thanks for your awesome, technical, in depth videos. I know it takes a lot of time to produce something of this quality!
Thanks for the great videos! My first sharpening purchase about 5 years ago was a king 1000/4000 whetstone, which is fine, but looking back MAN. I wish I had learned on the S SATC instead. I picked one up recently for 20 bucks after seeing one of your other videos, and the difference in how long it takes to get a good starting edge is insane. To be honest the 1000 side of the king is absolutely terrible compared to both sides of the SATC, constantly went out of being flat, catching the blade on the stone, etc. The 4000 is fine and I will probably still use it as it does put a mirror finish on, but as far as sharpness goes, the diamond stone alone got my knives sharper than the whetstone ever did, and in much less time. Just picked up the stuff to make a strop too, which unfortunately ran me closer to 40$ on amazon, so I will see how that goes when the stuff gets here. I had been planning on picking up a higher grit glass stone at some point too, but I think I will wait to see how well the strop meets my needs.
My very first stone was a King 1000/6000 -- because that's what everybody recommended. Then a strop. My second stone was one of those Chinese 400/1000 diamond stones. Subsequent buys: Shapton Kuromaku 320. Shapton Glass 1000. Shapton Glass 6000. The big mistake was buying the King first. Eventually I learned how to sharpen with it, but it took way too long and I could never tell whether I was getting a burr or not. I really just use my diamond stone for flattening my whetstones now. If I was buying again, I'd go straight to the 320. Then a 1000 and a 2000 or 3000. I'd definitely go Shapton. As you say, 1000 to 6000 is too big a jump. I still enjoy my King though.
@@sevun1918 The downside is that it won´t stay flat. The kuromaku stons are pretty hard and stay flat for a long time but eventually they have to be flattend. I don´t see the point of buying a coarse wetstone. Diamonds can do that better. Wetstones are better in the finer grits.
I still have my King 100/6000 and never had problems with getting knives, chisels or plane irons sharp. To me there are just two downsides to the king stones. They´re messy and they don´t stay flat for a long time.
Thanks for this... I have used Paper Wheels and Fixed Angle Systems but want to get into hand sharpening... I will get what you recommend to start...! The 400 Diamond and the Strop, then the 1000...
Love your videos gives a science look at blades. I’m not like you guys and am a professional hunter/guide as well as an all around bushmen so use things that are simple and easy. My choice is a Fallkniven DC521dimond/ceramic stone with a Lee Valley stone holder. It’s 800 and 4500 grit. It works wonderfully on a table/bench in lets say base camp. No you will cry🤪🤣🤯 in the field I actually free hand. That means I hold my stone and knife in my hand using nothing solid like a table. The ceramic stone I use works very well for me. It’s a Granfors Burk axe stone coming in at 180 and 600 grit🧐🤔. Don’t worry about it… I also use the cloth on my pants or shorts that I’m wearing as a strop. Different techniques and stones for different peoples. I did try those Japanese water stones. They work great even better than my set up but for me they required to much space and work to be useful to me.
I started with 400 and got decent results but not great till I went to 1000 but it was not "hair popping" till I went to 3000. I have what I consider cheap chefs prepping and carving knives I am sure the issue is my technique but I get paper cutting with these two grits. I do have a 400 for basic profiling I sure wish I had seen this years ago but it still comes down to technique with stones..
Whenever someone asks me about sharpening stones, I will be guiding them to this excellent video. Thanks Alex, now I don't have to explain to unexperienced minds, I just send them to you.
Hello, I think the most underrated stone from my point of view is the Kuromaku 1500. For daily sharpening of kitchen stuff the three tings what I use, diamond stone SK11 double sided 400/1000 in case of blade is damaged or "never" sharpened. Then kuromaku 1500 and leather strop. I really like this kuromaku 1500 this is my only one stone in case knife needs just be re-sharpen.
Good job as always! I wish that you had taken a look at the Sharpal 156N Double-sided Diamond Sharpening Stone in 325/1200. It runs around $40 on Amazon, and if it is really those grits (uncontaminated on the 1200 side) that would really be an awesome deal. I am unsure whether to get the S-SATC 400/1000 or this stone to replace my crappy CWOVRS Diamond Sharpening 600/1200 which is mounted on plastic, which slightly sticks out around the edges, which makes it difficult to sharpen with. Also the CWOVRS (gotta love the copyright avoiding Chinese random names on these things) 1200 side is coarser than the 600, and the 600 doesn't seem to do much of anything. Appreciate all the advice you have given, by the way, my knives are much sharper as a result and your videos are always entertaining (well, usually).
Those stones have been out of stock because of you Alex 😅 because you show the potential of these stones that we use! They are the Lamborghini of stones in my opinion (shaptons if you’re unsure)?
I am not a beginner and a experienced machinist/ mechanic
I am starting all over at 65 to be a better sharpener because of your videos.
YOU ARE THE BEST ON UA-cam IMO !!
Thanks! Really appreciate it🙏👍
You’re right about these being the best sharpening reviews on UA-cam. Straight up honest opinions from a guy who’s actually using the products/techniques and paying for them out of his own pocket. Not some shill that’s getting a kickback for suckering people into buying junk they don’t want or need. I stumbled (and subbed) onto this channel a few months ago and have found lots of good content. He seems to actually read the comments and addresses points brought up there in his videos. I appreciate that he knows and shows what does AND doesn’t work and is willing to demonstrate and experiment. My own sharpening skills and tools (found out about dmt products here) have both benefited from watching him. If you need proof that he knows what he’s doing just check out the close ups, I wish I could view my own work like that.
You'll find it a rewarding hobby/skill. Maintain the same angle for your passes would be my most important point. You'll get the knack quick and really appreciate the steels differences. It's kind of relaxing with time in on it.
I picked up the 400/1000 diamond and 1000 shapton because of you 2 weeks back, and I have some balsa wood and dmt 3 micron paste on order now. One thing you have not covered are flattening and dressing / cleaning stone. Any products there that you can recommend, especially for the shapton 1k and potentially 2k in the future?
Fuck yeah dude. Before I started watching his stuff I was dulling knives on a stone instead of sharpening them, now I can get a real nice edge with diamond stones
I picked up the Koramaku 1000, 2000 and 5000 on your recommendation. I use them with my Japanese kitchen knives of various steels up to HAP40 and they do a great job. Thanks for your videos, they seem like good honest advice from someone who knows what they're talking about, and not just intended to sell a product.
I got the 320, 1000 and 2000
@@kristianandersen5732i went 320, 1000, 2000, 5000, and 12000. I'm really new to using whetstones, and for the knives i use, I'm pretty much going with the 1k or 2k to finish the edge. But in my job i use wood chisels, so the 5000 and 12k are nice to give it a super fine edge and that mirror look
ahem, it's 黒幕 kuromaku that translate directly to black veil, or more accurately refer to mastermind/behind the scene because they're supporting knife so that they can shine
Thanks for your very informative video. I told myself months ago I was going to give up. After viewing your video will try again with a diamond stone.
Alex you are the real deal! I wish I could trust other channels half as much.
I bought the S SATC stone, made a strop out of some belt leather, and use some polishing compound on it. That and your tips on keeping the wrists locked have made so much difference in my sharpening ability. I was hardly ever able to get shaving sharp after a ton of work, but now I've been able to sharpen most of my knifes to shaving sharp in a few minutes. My next investment is definitely going to be the diamond compound.
Awesome! Glad to hear 👍👍
This was an awesome "decision making selection" video, honest and without the prejudice of sponsorship. Best wishes from here in the UK.
i like two how he showed different brands
As a beginner my beginner advice would be: buy a course stone. I had recently bought the shapton koramaku 1000 as my first stone, mostly because of your recomendation. I started out on the dull kitchen knives I had because I didn't have any experience yet and didnt want to dull my knives that where decently sharp. Couldn't figure out why I could not get a burr to form. I thought I must be doing something wrong. Turns out my knives where just extremely dull and after two hours(!) of sharpening I finally got a burr and eventualy got it shaving sharp. The correct grit to start on probably would have been 100. I think a lot of beginners who have never sharpened before are likely to have extremely dull knives that they continue using until they decide to buy a new one and chuck the old one in the drawer.
The burr is the key. No burr, no sharp. Once people get a burr, the world will never be the same. I'd always get coarse diamond first, though, since they cut much faster.
When I started out, I did not take the advance of buying just a single 1000 grit stone. I'm pretty familiar with abrasives due to my experience in different trades, mostly sandpaper, files, scotch pads, and cutting compound. Nobody goes out and buys 1000 grit sandpaper and uses it for every job out there. Giving the advice to only buy a 1000 grit whetstone and use it to sharpen every knife you have is like telling someone to buy a spade and use that to dig every hole you need. Or to buy a single general purpose hammer and use it for every job that needs a hammer. Some jobs need a drilling hammer or a sledge, and some jobs need a ditch witch or an excavator. A lot of people also recommend buying cheap whetstones like Kings, which wear fast and dish, and then move to a better quality. That doesn't make sense to me; why spend $30 on a whetstone, only to replace it when you wear through with another higher quality stone that costs $50. You just spent $70 when you could have just bought the quality stone at $50, learned to care for it and benefited from the higher quality, the harder wearing, the feedback and the better performance.
So, I think the most appropriate advice to give to a beginner is to buy a set of quality whetstones to start. Buy a coarse, a finer grit and something in between. I've had luck with 320, 500, and 2000 on the Shapton Rock Star line. Shapton Kuromaku 220 or 320, 1000 and the 2000 are a good set. Naniwa S2 Advance 220, 400 and 1000 are another. These are great because you can repair a damaged knife and set a new bevel with the 220/320 grit stones, or quickly sharpen a very dull knife with the 400, 500, and sharpen to a good cutting edge with the 1000/2000. If you have to start at the 220/320, it's good to have an intermediate step to make it to the end. Some knives don't need 320 and can benefit by starting with 400/500 or even 1000. Some of these stones are also not truly at their marked grit and may be more or less coarse/fine. I would also encourage beginners to buy a bunch of cheap knives from websites or at sporting good stores to practice technique before sharpening or repairing good, expensive knives.
Definitely get the diamond cheap stone he recommended. I also have the 1000 stone and the cheap whet stones. I got a burr so fast with the diamond, it really was an eye opener. He's totally right that that's the stone to learn from starting out. Now i have a strop and need to work on getting hair shaving results.
Good that you didn’t give up. Get the Alex recommended diamond plates and it will be fast. I have used mine at a family member’s house who wrecks knives and it cuts well. I want to get the dmt. Good luck.
@@testboga5991You dont need a burr to get a knive sharp. You need to align two bevels at the apex, not to overgrind them making a burr which youll have to remove later.
I bought the 400/1000 yesterday and is arriving tomorrow can’t wait to take my first step into sharpening!
all thanks to your videos 🤩
I really believe that the strop is necessary you should take the next step soon.
@@BloodSprite-tan YES! im having a hard time finding a diamond compound paste like used in the videos in Amazon UK. not sure what micron should i buy first as my first paste?
@@nicosalfos like the video suggest you should look for 6 micron diamond, it doesn't have to be paste you could get it from any available source. like spray powder etc. If you can't find anything you could always just use the green chromium oxide, but I wouldn't bother with a nice strop if you do so. you could just put green compound on mdf or other porous soft wood surfaces. since it needs to be scrapped off and replaced more often.
i had the 400/1000 in my cart yesterday and now it’s sold out lol
@@MortalMayonnaise It sold out after his video lol, but the American one that costs 2x more is in stock so ima prob get that.
Thank you for your videos! I have been sharpening knives all my life. At first a little carborundum stone and a strop loaded with jewlers rouge. With my father's instruction circa 1972. Moved to moon stick and then later diamond stones. A couple of months ago I purchased Koramaku 1000 and 5000 stones. Holy smokes they work better than anything I have ever used. I just ordered a 2000 grit. Should be here next week. BTW the diamond paste strop is working great for me as well !
I've made all of the mistakes you've said to avoid and this advice rings very true and accurate. I still make the jump from the 1000 Shapton Kuromaku to the 5000, but I agree that an in-between stone would make the 5000 much easier. I've been looking to replace my very cheap and messy coarse stone and you've convinced me to go with a diamond plate. Awesome video. Thank you!
Naniwa pro 3k is amazing stone. Smooth, lots of feedback, slow wearing, fast to make a burr. It's really good.
Would you mind making a video focused on kitchen knife sharpening (not only on what setup to use, but what angle favours secondary geometry and edge retention and how to homogenously sharpen a long blade)
The wider the angle, the higher the retention.
The type of metal affects edge retention, also.
I've bought all your recommendations, up to Number 3! Also made my own strop. I don't use high end steels, mainly basic carbon steel. I am bringing all my knives, including kitchen knives, up to an enjoyable sharpness. Thanks for all your advice! Take care, Eddie.
I wish I knew this 15 years ago. I had to learn the expensive way. Great information.
Same here!! Learn from expensive way!!!!!!
00:36 🪨 First thing you need to buy: Coarse grit profiling Stone, preferably Diamond, for efficient material removal and establishing initial bevel.
02:57 💎 Second thing you need to buy: 6 Micron Diamond strop for achieving extremely sharp edges, preferably homemade for cost-effectiveness.
04:36 🛠 Third thing you need to buy: Intermediate stone like the Shapton Kuromaku 1000 for regular sharpening needs, offering versatility for various steel types.
06:59 💰 Fourth thing you need to buy: High-end stone like Nano Hone resin-bonded Diamond Stone or Shapton Kuromaku 2000 for refining edges of super steels, ensuring full benefit from premium steel investments.
11:15 🔁 Recap of EXACTLY what you need as a beginner: Start with a 400 grit Diamond Stone, followed by Diamond strops (6 Micron, 10 Micron, 8 Micron), then progress to a 1000 grit intermediate stone. Only consider higher grit stones once proficient with coarse grits to avoid wasting money.
Amazing! Just real, sound, well explained, approachable, beginner friendly, and budget friendly advice. Perfect. Thank you!
I've been trying to learn how to sharpen my own kitchen knives instead of paying other people to do it, and your videos have been very educational. Thank you for your hard work.
Thanks man! Bought a 20€ diamond stone and a Sharpal leather strop. Finally I am able to sharpen my knifes after a lot of failed attempts with whetstones and other sharpening tools!
I really like the DMT dual-sided diamond stone. I think you can manage with that and a strop.
Correct
clearest honest advice from a man who have helped from afar for my daily usage of knives on the farm.
I went backwards a bit as i bought the DMT Fine plate before i purchased the DMT extra coarse plate. I am still breaking in the extra coarse plate, but I am really liking how fast I can get a burr i can feel with the extra coarse plate. I also found one of your older videos on cleaning strops so I cleaned all the gunked up green compound off the strop, gave it a quick sand with 150grit sandpaper and loaded it with 6 micron DMT diamond paste. That old strop works so well that i almost cant believe it.
I have used all the stones you mention here and may others. I think you are spot on with your recommendations. I may replace the 400 diamond with the Atoma 400, but it's a lot more expensive, and not necessary. Those Naniwa resin bond plates are amazing. If they made one at 10,000 grit I would use them exclusively for my woodworking tools. What you say about getting an edge on the 400 grit before moving on is key. Took me a while to learn that. Excellent informative and accurate video.
I was so nervous when I saw this video because I just got a stone I ordered yesterday, but then it was the one you said you recommend buying first and I was relieved! I am pretty good at sharpening, I was raised doing it, but I really don't know much about stones. Love your videos!
Arguably, your most helpful video.
As usual, Outdoors55 never fails to deliver a super entertaining, informative, useful and detailed video.👍🏻
Man I've been watching you for years and I just gotta say that your videos have come a really long way. As far as communication, production quality , and just everything in general. Good job on always improving yourself and your product
Great Video! After having these two-sided sharpening stones from amazon for quite some time, I now got the Shapton Pro 1000 and it works great! Next up will be a cheaper 400/1000 diamond stone.
One suggestion for an upcoming video: it would be nice if you could show how to keep the correct angle on longer knives, especially ones that have more of a curve to them like traditional chefs knives. I struggle a bit there on the rounded part. Also it would be interesting to do some comparison of all the tricks that are floating around: using a stack of coins/using an angle guide etc. I made myself some wooden ramps in the correct angle to make sure I am consistent. For the coin/thumb trick I suspect that this might work on some knives but not ones with a wide or narrow blade.
Your channel is by far the very definition of essential, clear and honest information on sharpening.
Simply put, you made a very saturated topic abundantly clear for this viewer and you've gotten yourself another subscriber.
Keep it up and power through
Man, I’ve just found you like a week ago. You, Sir, are a gem, when it comes to quality info about sharpening. If or whenever you’ll get all the scratch marks out of this topic , just keep the attitude in whichever endeavours you choose next. I wish you well.
I'm using these as reference because of a random hair to get into sharpening. No strop because I just wanted to try my hand at it and still getting stupid clean lines in paper cardboard paper towels even. I notice dulling after a bit most likely because of that burr but needed to get some more references past the ~1000 grit stage too lol. I love these kind of recommendations for getting into things and investing and what priority because it helps when you need some direction. I'm currently getting the kind of sharp that with a little pressure just glides through stuff. I want to get some psychotically sharp.
I have DMT and Arkansas stones, and man I still love the Arkansas stone feel and edge it creates. Not quite as fast but man it feels good...
DMT coarse, plus an Arkansas to do the fine work, that's a good combo.
Excellent video. I especially appreciate the simplicity and directness. Thank you. P.S. Would you consider doing a video on sharpening convex edges just using strops? I have a bunch of knives that are in CMP 3V with convexed edges.
Ive been sharpening by hand since around 2005 and ive owned and used all kinds of stones. I once thought that DMT was the best until i got an Atoma diamond stone. Nothing compares. Nothing. Its the best. I got a 140 and a 600 grit and within no time you can slap an edge on anything. Then i got to a 1200 grit diamond very quickly and lightly and then a 5000 grit whetstone to polish and a very light pass on a strop afterwards. Hair whittling stuff within a few minutes. Just dont make a burr with the first two diamond stones. Take it very very close tho
Holy shit Alex! Another gem to the knife-sharpening community! Super straight to the point, easy to understand and as always incredibly good advice.. Please keep blessing us with your knowledge/experience!
Your channel is great and has been super inspiring in educating myself on sharpening. Also love your approach for giving advice and testing products, including clever DIY and budget options.
A year or two back, i bought myself an Arkansas stone with a budding interest in sharpening things as an extension of my solidifying interest in tools which eventually leads to an interest in something bladed. I couldn't for the life of me get anything done with it, not even a simple chisel and quickly gave up. Today I found that abandoned stone, and decided this would be my time to lock in and actually learn. I feel like your videos have the best array of tips for where to start, and after binging on a boring day I'll be starting with the DMT Extra Coarse, Kuromaku 1000 and a lenght of leather to make my strop+compound.
Thanks so muuch for the body of knowledge! I went ahead with the second stone upfront as a sort of "sunk cost" to give me one more reason to hang in there until I get it this time though I really think my issue before was I didnt do the research (iirc, I was trying to use the Arkansas stone dry).
Great job, again, thank you. Short yet detailed, to the point but thoroughly explained. Much appreciated. Here is an idea, you made diy strop video, what about strop maintenance one? Cleaning, reapplying, when to do so, how, why... ?
You briefly mention clogging. Can you do a refresher on de-clogging and also on flattening? Love your content. Thanks.
Rinse with water and give it some random passes with the diamond plate. Use a pencil to scribble the top, run the plate over it, and you'll see if it's flat or not. Too easy.
@@silvermediastudio Most ppl starting out & in general don't own a diamond plate tho, they are really expensive for just flattening & are hard to rationalize buying when u can get multiple whetstones for the same price. I've been buying knives for year and don't have one. it's not needed
@@solosamuraiz1526 SATC Diamond Sharpening Stone 2 Side Grit 400/1000 Diamond Plate is $22 on Amazon. Stop making excuses. Your comment is the only thing not needed here.
This is a great video for anyone who is starting out... I remember when I was learning how to sharpen I would frequently end up with a beautiful mirror-polished bevel on a knife that wasn't properly apexed so it was still rather dull.
This video is very welcome. I was about to commit many mistakes... Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
I personally like the smaller size plates. especially if the majority of your knives are folding pocket knives and even for up to 5-6" hunting knives. I think it makes it more affordable to get better quality abrasives. I also prefer the feel and feedback of holding the stone in one hand and the knife in the other and the smaller stones are more manageable in the hand.
I really like the DMT double-sided diasharp plates. One plate with diamond coarse and fine is a pretty good sweet spot. I feel like the dmt coarse is already a really fast cutter that even with really hard maxamet-class steel there is little need for the extra-coarse. Then the fine side allows you to refine a bit. In fact i will typically go to the fine side for the bur minimization after grinding on coarse. For a second stone, i like the Venev Cerberus Dog Series Dual Side Diamond plates. Again, it's a two-sided stone, so you don't have to trade off skipping grit sizes for economy. after a DMT fine, i think the venev 400-800 or 800-1200 makes a good refinement stone.
Good stuff, Alex! I've said for years that virtually all the actual sharpening is done on the first stone. If you're not shaving-sharp off the arato there's no point to moving on to another stone. I don't know what percentage of users are doing S110V, Maxamet, etc. most of the time? I have some of those knives but I'm a chef so most of my knives are Aogami, AEB-L or one of the Hitachi White steels. A couple of my gyutos are "super steel" and those respond well to diamonds or one of the Shapton lines. Honestly, for the more 'pedestrian' steels I could get by with my Atoma 140 diamond, 320 Shapton Pro and Naniwa Green Brick, although for my money the best single stone out there is the Naniwa 1k...at least if you're not doing Maxamet, HAP40, etc.
Isn't the shapton 320 pro too coarse? I have a 2000 pro and need something coarser, the 1000 pro is nowhere to be found, only the 320 pro and 500 glass.
@@gigel99324 The 500 GlassStone is pretty good, too. The 320 Pro finishes pretty well and I often go from it to a 1k.
Exactly what people starting out need😊
It's nice to see a more comprehensive video about stones Burrfection recommended years ago.
I have a question but before I'll ask it I'd like to tell my story.
I'll try to keep it short but will probably fail, so forgive me :)
My journey has been like this: I was annoyed with the dull knives in the house and thought it was a good investment to buy some more quality knives.
My wife bought me a set of Zwilling knives but I didn't use them that much because I was afraid of them getting dull.
So then my wife bought me the typical two sided aluminum oxide stone and that's when I got into sharpening.
I really like the idea of being self maintained, but didn't want to ruin my 'good' knives so I collected lots of poor knives to practice on.
That's when I found your channel.
I bought a work sharp precision set to correct my messed up angles.
Then I bought a spyderco ceramic medium as my 'new stone' after you recommended it (it's good but it gets clogged up and then it is pretty much useless)
Then a DMT coarse stone came and I learned that I could get things very sharp with just that stone and my strop (although I just use cheap aluminum oxide compound)
I felt I was lacking finer stones so then I bought the DMT medium and fine (which I don't use that much).
The medium and fine stones felt like they didn't make that much of a difference. I don't microscope my edges, I'm just checking if if my knife is sharp, which it is already on the coarse stone plus strop.
Then I also bought a Shapton Glass 1000. I absolutely love this stone purely because of the white color and you can see it is still moving material like scratching with a pencil on a white paper.
It does clough up though, so then I also bought a Naninwa dressing stone to clean it up (which I also love btw) That last one might only be for the visuals, I don't know, but it looks like it is an important part of the process.
Now here's my question finally:
I learned that I can get my knives very sharp with just the coarse diamond and strop.
I know that you can refine your edges with finer grids, but what's the benefit?
If I'm not microscoping my edges, why would I bother to continue working towards finer grids?
I'm sharpening my kitchen knives and not foldable razor blades or anything like that.
"why would I bother to continue working towards finer grids?"
I want to know that too. Is going finer just cosmetic, for that mirror-bright finish, or does it make a functional difference?
There’s truly no point unless you have a very specific use for 100k edges; such as a master surgeon who happens to sharpens his own scalpels, which is highly improbable. ;) Or you just do it as a hobby or because you can do it. That’s why I used to do it a lot, because I can. It’s a skill, yes, and one that takes a lot of practice to truly master but it’s also one of extremely limited benefit and practical use.
I used to take my knives to ridiculous levels (the waterstones would stop at around 1 micron/15k, then waterstone powders for polishing out polishing defects from the stone itself, and then it would be Diamond pastes) but in the end I stopped doing it because 100k edges don’t cut rope, or anything in the real world, like a highly refined 600 grit edge.
I still mirror polish all the bevels (powders included, lol) but then I apply a tiny micro bevel (at the degrees I want as the secondary bevel has been reduced to account for it) on a 600 stone. However, this isn’t necessary every time I need to sharpen a knife…only every so often.
Sometimes I’ll do some light and careful stropping (4-6 pps) on a 5 micron Diamond paste loaded piece of hardwood, but it depends on what I want to cut.
My knife bevels are generally made into a flawless mirror and you even can’t see the Micro as it’s so small. Yet, it slices/pushes through anything with ease and due to the tiny micro its edge retention surpasses any zero grind by many many times. I do this on all blade types; flat, scandi, convex, sabre, hollow, and compound grinds; knives, daggers, machetes, and swords.
They can still whittle beard hairs fairly easily but not always, if that tells you anything. They all shave. Shaving hairs is quite easy and not really proof of sharpness as even reasonably dull knives (by my own standards anyways) can still give the impression, especially on film, of shaving sharp.
For the record, I use the plateau sharpening method almost exclusively. Among other things it allows me to have the cutting apex at a different grit than the bevel itself; it’s faster, it wastes no metal with burr formation and removal, and is just plain better.
Some other info that may be of interest…
Burrs are sharpening the metal so much that you’ve collapsed the apex and so need to flip sides to correct it. Only to create yet another burr, wasting metal and reducing the life of the knife. It comes from misinformation from people who, honestly, believe they know what they’re doing and it’s also so terribly ingrained into people that it passes from one generation to the next unnoticed.
Zero grinds are nonsense and fragile and the idea stems from misinformation as even traditional Scandis (in Scandinavia) aren’t zero grind, they never have been…unless adopted. It’s an American thing and a silly one at that. If you strop, your blades aren’t zero grind. It’s pretty much that simple.
If you’re interested check out “Cliff Stamp Plateau Sharpening” and you’ll find theory behind it. He also has a ton of other science based info on his channel and website. You’ll learn more from Cliff (RIP) than anyone else I can assure you.
RonaldZaZ, specifically…
Use the DMT coarse to flatten the Shapton. It’s an ideal grit to use as a flattening stone on a 1k Shapton.
Draw pencil lines in a grid on the Shapton and start. You’ll see some are removed while others are not; those others are low spots in the stone and you need to keep at it until all pencil marks are removed. You’ll have a perfectly flat stone in the end. Use plenty of water and don’t be heavy handed with Diamond plates as they can wear out prematurely.
I love that for mere mortals such as me, you recommend a single stone & grit. That's what I've been using but was self conscious I should be using more stuff. I'll keep watching your tutorials & get my technique better rather than buying more kit 🙏👍🏻
Your videos showed up in my algorithm and now I have another high precision craft/hobby to get into...
Just got myself a cheap 400/1000 Chinese diamond a strop with 6 micron and got a Shapton 1000 and 2000 on the way.Thanks for the great advice.👍
Excellent video. Well produced, direct to the point and no adds or promotions of shady companies with crappy products. Thank you for your recommendations! One friendly suggestion: maybe try putting the scale of the amplification when you zoom into the edge of the knives? Not necessary, but I think it'd be a nice touch to make your videos look even more professional.
THANK you, Alex, for this series of sharpening videos! Although I use a KME, I find your videos to be incredibly informative, well structured, and very well presented. I ALWAYS learn new things when I watch your videos. Plus, they are entertaining, as well!!
Just good old fashion common sense No BS. Thank you, sir!
I took your advice on diamond stones and ordered a DMT 3 stone set (coarse/325 mesh/ 45 micron, fine/ 600 mesh/ 25 micron and extra fine/ 1200 mesh/ 9 micron), a suede/ smooth strop (came with green honing wax) and the yellow 3 micron DMT Dia-sharp honing paste. Only spend around $140. I've had shaving sharp before but not hair whittling sharp. Now my chef's knife is literally hair whittling and it didn't take but 5 minutes or so! Doubtful I'll need another stone for the rest of my life (not a knife aficionado, just need a sharp kitchen and survival/camping knife). Thanks so much!
You are becoming the best knife channel. Congratulations!
Suggestion: edge geometry, thickness behind the edge, practical uses of either...
After watching your videos i purchased a three pack of the Ultra Sharp diamond stones. I just received them and i have to say, i am impressed. The quality appears to be excellent. They are made in the USA. They are heavy. I have a huge knife collection and im sick of not being able to sharpen them well. Hopefully, with the help of your video's, i can figure this out. Thank you.
It certainly feels like there is a big interest in the community for this knowledge - myself included! Love the videos and this exact one is a must watch. I was just about to order some stuff based on your other videos and this just made the decision process so much easier. Thank you. Seriously.
I don't know if I consider myself a beginner, but I rarely go through each grade of grits/materials on my knives if they are regularly maintained. I am a working Chef, I usually do the extra fine dmt(green), then leather strop(no compound). Some blades I need super fine and biting, some blades I need for chopping(santoku or nakiri). For chopping knives I do a more rounded bevel for the constant hammering. For the rounded bevel I will use a ceramic whetstone to a rough strop(with diamond compound). The metals for most of my chef knives is s35vn and vg10(most japanese companies use a form of vg10 or bd1)
Sharpening stones can be a rabbit hole. I learned how to sharpen on a little pocket stone. I have many stones, even one I found on the ground I flattened it and it works great on the small Texas toothpicks and similar sized blades. Cool video!
I was wondering if you could do a video one day talking about sharpening larger blades I have been working on restoring a old hickory style knife and a machete and honestly I could use some tips
I'm not the guy you asked, but you can work on the knife in sections or hold the knife at a diagonal orientation and sharpen along the length of the stone, pulling the knife as you go. May still have to work in sections.
my main tip would be to use blade files or get the ken onion work sharp. I hate to say that it is super hard to use a big stone to sharpen such a long edge. there are dmt diamond files. which are the more affordable option, but if you have the spare cash, the worksharp is stupidly easy and fast. if you want more out of it you can get very high quality belts from Micro Surfaces in most of the necessary grits. the other option would be to build a jig I guess.
i have multiple machetes and frankly the work sharp chews through the steel with little effort.
Recently got a Shapton Glass 1000 and been using it to mantain my Mora knives and my leatherman multitools. So far, great results. First ever stone and still learning, but managed to get the edges to shaving sharp and its just VERY satisfying.
I have a very large collection of stones and that Shapton glass 1000 has been my favorite post-profiling stone. You chose wisely.
I just bought the 240 grit Shapton glass stone and I was not disappointed. I also put some lapping film on the glass and bam, I got a lapping plate!
Great video! I just discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago, but I have seen a lot of your videos already and find them very educational. What I think would be great to add is the magnification size you are using for each shot, at least for me it's hard to grasp how magnified a certain shot is, would help a lot to actually see the actual number into a corner, especially when comparing, since it looks that sometimes one image is more magnified than the other. Well, keep up the great work!
I started out freehand and bought most of these recommendations and had great results. I'm glad I learned to freehand sharpen. I did finally get the newest version Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener Tool, complete angle adjustable knife sharpening system. Being able to use the digital angle finder to the exact degree you want has been a game changing. I rarely use the freehand stones anymore. So now looking back I would just get this newest Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust or the KME. This is just my personal opinion after trying everything mentioned and more. The newest digital guided Sharpeners are more precise at exact angles and also faster in my opinion. Stick with what works best for you. Also have fun and enjoy your knives while building skills.
I just got the DMT extra course off the back of one of your other videos. Absolute n00b beginner here. Excited to give it a try when it arrives. Thanks so much for your help, you are a fantastic educator and your knowledge is the best kind, that gained through trial and error.
What would you bring in the bush for edge maintenance inclunding dings ? I make camping videos and often dig firepits with my machetes. Would LOVE a dedicated video, as you're a sharpening master and UL enthusiast !
I know you weren't asking me, but Sharpal makes a good set of credit card sized diamond stone "plates" that you can carry in your wallet for those situations.
For "digging edges" like on shovels or the upper edge of a machete that see dirt often I carry a small file, about 6 inches or less, my pocket carry one is a Nicolson ignition file, 5-1/4 inch, tungsten point file model 02375NN, cuts most anything and takes nicks out fast (note: that is 5-1/4 overall, it's tiny and thin and will flex). Practice a bit before you use it on your favorite tool, holding the angle takes practise with the short file.
Files, Lansky Pucks, or Worksharp Field sharpener all great bush options
Thanks, guys !
For now, I mostly :
- Don't do anything and leave the digging portion blunt.
- Use a pull-through sharpener on the edge
- Use a full-size metal file OR a piece of sandpaper layed upon my palm (gloves on 😅)
Seeing Alex's videos on pull through sharpeners, I stopped using mine. Thinking the most ultralight way would be pieces of sandpaper and leather, layed on top of my thigh (dragging motion, not shaving motion... 😅)
Alex, I'm curious what your take is ! 🫡
Amazing video Alex! I have bean watching your content for a couple of months now and I love this channel. This is what helped me learn all if my knife sharpening skills, not that I'm very good at sharpening, I'm only 13. I have a question for a set of stones, they have the same design of the 400 grit one in the video, I'd like to know if they would be usable or if they would just be cheap stones trying to be something they aren't, if you have something i could send you the links to like discord please let me know so I could send you the links. Have a great day!
I picked up that course diamond stone you recommended. It's literally night and day. I would spend an hour sharpening my knives before, and never realised that having a good course stone to apex first was key. I spent about a minute and got hair whittling results. That's really what I wanted, something to quickly get a good edge and do some cooking.
Thank you for making this great content
Thank you for this video. Very interesting and informative. I especially appreciated the microphotographs.
You mentioned about using the Kuromaku stones in series and not skipping grits. Can you see a different between the scratch pattern of a 5000 grit after 1000, Vs a 5000 grit after a 2000? Or are you simply referring to the time it takes to refine the pattern up to the 5000 grit? If you can see a difference it would be great if you could let us see your close-ups!
*as a side note, buying a jewellers loupe/magnifying glass was one of the best investments I made when learning to sharpen, I can only imagine how useful your setup is!
I think he means you don't want to start with 220 and jump to 5000. Since the 220 is very coarse, and the 5000 very fine, it's gonna take quite a while for the 5000 to sand down the scratches from the 220. So, therefore it's a wiser investment to go from a 220 to a 1000 to a 3000 to a 5000. Don't think you'll see a difference, just the scratch pattern from the last stone you used.
I started with a "kit" on Amazon, made up of the same diamond 400/1000 grit Chinese sharpening stone, and a 3000/8000 dual-sided, dual-color crap stone (the 8000 side started having large grooves almost immediately). Of course I was bad at sharpening, so I think it was a good purchase to identify my mistakes, with a great help from your videos.
I'm sharpening stainless steel kitchen knives. I like them sharp. I like it when it just slides through veggies with no squishing and no sliding (that can end up with cuts). I've now spent more on the stones (that Amazon kit, half of which is in the garbage, and then the Kuromaku 2000 and 5000). I have no strop, since I have a lower goal of sharpness. I know that stainless till that can easily shave hair, will get duller after just 2 uses. WIth the Kuromaku 2000 and 5000, and a slightly improved technique, I managed to produce shaving razors out of 1.4116 Krupp steel quite easily.
I will probably not use the diamond 400/1000 ones, since the Kuromaku 2000 removes enough material to keep them sharp over time. I only needed the 400 in order to fix a chipping of a knife.
I think I'm happy with my setup now. I just need to figure out the instructions for the Kuromaku 5000, with "lapping" and other things that I'll eventually need to do.
i think you should try a strop. based on what i'm learning from our guy Outdoors55--not from experience--your knives won't get dull after 2 uses because of steel quality, it's because the burr isn't being fully removed, so the burr is doing the cutting right after sharpening, and then it gets rolled over (not the same as a rolled edge). any chance you might know someone that has one you could try, if the cost is a concern? he also mentions making your own from a piece of wood and a piece of leather.
@@adfaklsdjfin a pinch, you can strop directly on wood like a cutting board. It'll take longer but you can remove that burr. And yes, its the burr cutting and getting folded over the sharp knife point which makes it feels dull.. those oldschool knife irons literally existed to try to remove that burr, though less effective than a strop. Strop and you will not need another stone for kitchen knives, I promise.
You made me finally achieve a hair whittling edge. I watched you videos on strops and said ok you talked me into it. I got 6 and 1 micron diamond powder so I cleaned my strops and took the time to do it. I got it to cut and whittle hair but not with the ease you show. So I went back and watched a few more of your videos. I didn't bother to follow my scratch patterns so ill be doing that next. Your dragging me into the hair whittling sharp realm. My hair is pretty short. My niece was over who has long red hair...😅
I bought what seems to be the European market version of the S SATC stone and a leather strop (as the belt kits you recommended from the strop making video are unavailable here) and am using the trend mirror paste and got paper cutting sharpness on knives that had almost no bevel left. It's absolutely fantastic.
hey, bro, can you share the links?
I also could not find something for EU
@@smrsgv unfortunately I can't as Alex has disabled the posting of links in his comment sections (I just spent 20 minutes writing a reply to your comment with all the links and lost it).
Can you tell the brand name, or something? I am really looking for similar stone for the EU.
@@susceptibility_ my comments are being blocked by UA-cam for some reason
@@susceptibility_
On Am@zon UK (can't spell the name of the site because UA-cam blocks it).
Kalolary for the sharpening stone, BeaverCraft Stropping Leather and Trend Mirror paste as the abrasive
Thanks! Another excellent video. What's your opinion on ceramic sharpeners?
Brilliant advice, I havebeen that person who thought better stones would produce better results, rather than better technique !!
I sharpen kitchen, Scandi Mora garden, and D2 edc knives and mostly use Shapton glass 320, 2000, 4000 and Atoma aluminium 400 1200 all work great. When I find a Shapton glass 1000 will pick up one too
Just subscribed! Was going down the rabbit hole for knife sharpening stones and your content was so helpful. Thank you! I know what to buy first :)
I picked up the four stone set of Dia-sharp DMT stones from sharpening supplies and they are awesome. The kit comes with stones in 220grit, 325grit, 600grit, and 1200grit. They also have a really nice stone holder for about $35 and I also picked that up. I bought this set after spending about a year using shapton ceramic stones. I taught myself how to sharpen by hand with shapton stones, mostly using kitchen knives. As of the last few years I've gotten into higher end edc knives and that's what prompted the stone upgrade. Some of these newer super steels are just ridiculously hard and their vanadium content is high. Having said that, they are no match for the diamond stones!! In addition, I think a good strop and some proper diamond emulsion is actually far more important than most people realize. I think a quality stropping rig gets overlooked by a lot of people and that's a mistake. A two sided strop, rough on both sides, with some gunny juice is perfect. I like rough sided because it holds emulsion better. I use a 4 micron on one side and a 0.5 micron on the other and my edges will usually whittle a hair. You don't have to use Gunny Juice, that's just one option, I frequently use Jende Max, and it works just fine.
"Stone # 1" That part cracks me up.
I think the Shapton 1000 (see internet videos showing this) is more like a 800 grit stone which makes it almost a given that you use the 2000 grit stone before moving on to the 5000 .
Depending on what your sharpening 5000 really isn`t needed . I have the 5000 shapton(now broken after it fell to the ground , but still usable . in 2)
I now stop with the 2000 grit Shapton (on kitchen knives)and strop it with diamond paste up to 14K and that works very good ,imo .
Thanks for the video , you do very nice work sharing what you know to the world ...
Found your channel a week ago, And I have to say I just love your videos man
Some good reccomendations. A good strop is absolutely critical to getting a keen edge that lasts.
My dad showed me when i was very young how to sharpen a blade. He never mentioned a burr and apex. 50 years later I see your videos. That explains
The science of proper sharp edges. Too bad UA-cam wasn’t available in the sixties. 😊
This recommendation is 100% spot on.
When I got started 2000ish I fooled around with some junk. Eventually got a Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker and that was great (still works today). Never bought in to the Lansky system which a few guys had but they took forever and were fiddly.
By 2005 or 2006 I stepped up and got a 300/1000 diamond stone and suddenly my sharpening time was down to two minutes not twenty. I was using a similar strop on a 1x1 with the green 1micron compound. Eventually I picked up the 1000mesh Shapton glass ceramic and while it's great for the larger blades and high carbon Japanese stuff, I rarely use it anymore. I think the diamond paste is where I need to go next.
I really enjoy watching your videos very informative. Thank you so much.
Just had 0.5 and 0.1 micron paste arrive yesterday, in the process of making 2 better strops than my last strop. your advice and macro lens closeups are amazing, and I also picked up that jewellers' loupe a couple years back too! You're a legend
You are responsible for my most recent $100 Amazon order! Thanks for your awesome, technical, in depth videos. I know it takes a lot of time to produce something of this quality!
Thank you so much!
I'm trying to learn and take better care of my equipment myself.
Thanks for the great videos! My first sharpening purchase about 5 years ago was a king 1000/4000 whetstone, which is fine, but looking back MAN. I wish I had learned on the S SATC instead. I picked one up recently for 20 bucks after seeing one of your other videos, and the difference in how long it takes to get a good starting edge is insane. To be honest the 1000 side of the king is absolutely terrible compared to both sides of the SATC, constantly went out of being flat, catching the blade on the stone, etc. The 4000 is fine and I will probably still use it as it does put a mirror finish on, but as far as sharpness goes, the diamond stone alone got my knives sharper than the whetstone ever did, and in much less time.
Just picked up the stuff to make a strop too, which unfortunately ran me closer to 40$ on amazon, so I will see how that goes when the stuff gets here. I had been planning on picking up a higher grit glass stone at some point too, but I think I will wait to see how well the strop meets my needs.
My very first stone was a King 1000/6000 -- because that's what everybody recommended. Then a strop. My second stone was one of those Chinese 400/1000 diamond stones. Subsequent buys: Shapton Kuromaku 320. Shapton Glass 1000. Shapton Glass 6000.
The big mistake was buying the King first. Eventually I learned how to sharpen with it, but it took way too long and I could never tell whether I was getting a burr or not. I really just use my diamond stone for flattening my whetstones now. If I was buying again, I'd go straight to the 320. Then a 1000 and a 2000 or 3000. I'd definitely go Shapton. As you say, 1000 to 6000 is too big a jump.
I still enjoy my King though.
What are the negatives of a shapton kuromaku 320 compared to a diamond stone of similar grit?
@@sevun1918 The downside is that it won´t stay flat. The kuromaku stons are pretty hard and stay flat for a long time but eventually they have to be flattend. I don´t see the point of buying a coarse wetstone. Diamonds can do that better. Wetstones are better in the finer grits.
I still have my King 100/6000 and never had problems with getting knives, chisels or plane irons sharp. To me there are just two downsides to the king stones. They´re messy and they don´t stay flat for a long time.
hearing how important a strop is was the gold i needed from this
Sharpening!!! my dude you are so weird and Im here for it. im glad your back after that long break
Thanks for this... I have used Paper Wheels and Fixed Angle Systems but want to get into hand sharpening... I will get what you recommend to start...! The 400 Diamond and the Strop, then the 1000...
Such a great channel
Love your videos gives a science look at blades. I’m not like you guys and am a professional hunter/guide as well as an all around bushmen so use things that are simple and easy. My choice is a Fallkniven DC521dimond/ceramic stone with a Lee Valley stone holder. It’s 800 and 4500 grit. It works wonderfully on a table/bench in lets say base camp.
No you will cry🤪🤣🤯 in the field I actually free hand. That means I hold my stone and knife in my hand using nothing solid like a table. The ceramic stone I use works very well for me. It’s a Granfors Burk axe stone coming in at 180 and 600 grit🧐🤔. Don’t worry about it… I also use the cloth on my pants or shorts that I’m wearing as a strop. Different techniques and stones for different peoples.
I did try those Japanese water stones. They work great even better than my set up but for me they required to much space and work to be useful to me.
What have you done Alex! The S SATC went back in stock when I woke up. Took a shower and now is out of stock again!😫😂
This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!
I started with 400 and got decent results but not great till I went to 1000 but it was not "hair popping" till I went to 3000. I have what I consider cheap chefs prepping and carving knives I am sure the issue is my technique but I get paper cutting with these two grits. I do have a 400 for basic profiling I sure wish I had seen this years ago but it still comes down to technique with stones..
Whenever someone asks me about sharpening stones, I will be guiding them to this excellent video. Thanks Alex, now I don't have to explain to unexperienced minds, I just send them to you.
Thanks for the STRAIGHT forward video.
Hello, I think the most underrated stone from my point of view is the Kuromaku 1500. For daily sharpening of kitchen stuff the three tings what I use, diamond stone SK11 double sided 400/1000 in case of blade is damaged or "never" sharpened. Then kuromaku 1500 and leather strop. I really like this kuromaku 1500 this is my only one stone in case knife needs just be re-sharpen.
Good job as always! I wish that you had taken a look at the Sharpal 156N Double-sided Diamond Sharpening Stone in 325/1200. It runs around $40 on Amazon, and if it is really those grits (uncontaminated on the 1200 side) that would really be an awesome deal. I am unsure whether to get the S-SATC 400/1000 or this stone to replace my crappy CWOVRS Diamond Sharpening 600/1200 which is mounted on plastic, which slightly sticks out around the edges, which makes it difficult to sharpen with. Also the CWOVRS (gotta love the copyright avoiding Chinese random names on these things) 1200 side is coarser than the 600, and the 600 doesn't seem to do much of anything. Appreciate all the advice you have given, by the way, my knives are much sharper as a result and your videos are always entertaining (well, usually).
I have the156N and it's great. I'll replace it with Shapton stones if and when it wears out, but it's going on a year of great service so far.
Those stones have been out of stock because of you Alex 😅 because you show the potential of these stones that we use! They are the Lamborghini of stones in my opinion (shaptons if you’re unsure)?
This is gold! Very informative! I know what I am buying now without a doubt. Thank you!
Awesome content at always, do you have an alternative diamond stone to use as the one you linked doesn’t ship to the uk .
Thank you!