Norton Knife Sharpener Whetstone, Japanese Sharpening Stone with 1000/4000 Combination Grit Stone, Wet Stone Sharpening Stone

This is my first waterstone, but I have used them before in restaurants and know a good one from a dud. The 1000 grit side (brown) brings back an edge to a slightly dulled knife in just a couple of minutes, and the 4000 grit side (white) refines that edge further and slightly polishes the blade. I've used this stone on carbon steel knives, inexpensive stainless steel ones, and rather pricey stainless steel ones. The results with all of them have been excellent. There is a somewhat steep learning curve with these stones; it's easy to get a knife sharper than it was, but tricky to achieve the sort of edge that you're probably after if you're considering a whetstone. Regardless, I highly recommend this stone. The price may seem daunting, but considering how rarely you'll need to use the stone after your initial sharpening (a honing steel is sufficient for regular maintenance, in my experience), it will last a very long time. Other advantages include the larger than average surface area of the stone, which makes sharpening long or wide knives much easier than on the smaller, more common versions of stones that are popular, and the carrying case, which doubles as a sturdy stand.

Was not the stone pictured. I ordered a water NOT a Oil stone. Dimensions smaller than claimed when I ordered as well 👎

This whetstone sharpens but wears away before your eyes. I had a large valley after doing one set of kitchen knives. This stone is far too expensive to wear that quickly.

Cost more, but the perfect kitchen knife stone. Probably the most consistent grain pattern you'll get. This matters if you use for straight razor shaving as it leave minimal deep scratches you can't see with the eye, but will show up after a shave.Better than other silicone carbide stones;- Suehiro cerax cr-3800 (1000/3000)- King (1000/6000)- Sharp Pebble set- Naniwa or Chosera series (because those things crack way too much)Not as good as Gritomatic;- Gritomatic lasts longer and cuts faster. I can't tell under my 120x pocket scope, but the grain consistency look the same. though I'm inclined to think Norton still wins on grain/grit consistency (could be wrong as I'm limited by my 120x zoom).All of these comparisons are to silicone carbide style stones. DMT, resin, boride, etc... I just couldn't tell you.

Overall this is a great quality stone. Came in a very nice box with holes to allow the water to evaporate (I wish more stones packages had these holes so I don't have to leave them out for hours to dry out), it's a great little touch.Everything from this point on will be in reference to honing straight razors:So let me begin by saying that the absolute first thing I did out of the packaging was check if the stone was flat. It wasn't; not even near flat. I had to spend quite a bit of time with a 220 grit flattening stone on both sides to get it nice and level. In particular, the center was significantly more raised than the edges on the stone I received. I was a bit surprised at how much material had to be removed. For a novice who was learning how to hone straight razors, not flattening this stone would have been a very expensive, time consuming, and frustrating mistake. So please, make sure your stone is flat before you use it!Once the stone was flat, I let it soak for about half an hour, adding water as the stone sucked it up. I used the 1k side to set the bevel on a Wade and Butcher I was restoring. The cutting action was very quick compared to other stones I've used. As a result, I had to be careful and make sure I wasn't removing too much material. A sharpie came in very handy for this. I kept inspecting my edge with a loupe as I was honing since this was a new stone and I wasn't sure how it would perform. It actually did an amazing job with the edge, really cut down on the amount of time I needed to spend on the lower grit stones. So once the bevel was set, I flipped the stone over and continued with the 4k. It also cut very quickly. I only needed about 5 laps per side to get all the 1k marks out. I then progressed with my Japanese waterstones and got the razor completely shave ready in under an hour, mostly thanks to how little time I had to spend at the lower grits due to the Nortons cutting action.I want to give this stone 5 stars, but the only thing holding me back is how much work I had to put into flattening it. It wasn't a big deal for me, since I have the flattening stones, but I feel like this is something that could trip up many people not familiar with honing. So please, check if your stone is flat/level before using it!

The stone is first rate, or would be if not for someone at Amazon throwing it into an oversized box without any padding. After first use, the stone showed a series of hairline cracks from being banged around. Someone needs to explain to the shipping clerk the difference between a rock and a precision tool.

Bought these primarily to keep my sushi knives sharp but use it for all of my kitchen knives. Well made stones, reasonable price, and the case works great as a stand. Would highly recommend these to any one who likes to keep their knives sharp.

very good quality stone. Needed flattening out of the box, but not much. The stone is a great combination and puts a very nice edge on any blade. The 4000 grit leaves a very sharp "toothy" edge, probably good for most people and is a good intermediary stone before going to the 8000. I was concerned about grit contamination with a combo stone a quick run under the faucet before going to the higher grit is all that is needed. The large size of these stones makes sharpening even twelve inch chef knives a breeze.