If your knives are already in decent shape but need a touch-up, a medium to fine grit, such as 3000 to 6000, will be sufficient. This grit range will help you maintain the sharpness of your knives without removing too much material.
For those who have reasonable experience with sharpening, we recommend a finish stone of 8000 grit. If one is not certain, or for beginners, stones with a grit between #3000 and #6000 will produce acceptable results. So, in principle one needs at least three stones if one has to do significant amounts of sharpening.
The 1000-grit blue side was the coarser of the two, while the 6000-grit was finer.
#1000 grit is the most common general sharpening granulation (to put a new edge on a blunt knife), while #6000 grit is a fine granulation for the finishing edge and the final polish of the blade.
Start with your lower grit whetstone. For kitchen knives, a good starting point is 1000 grit for the first sharpening, and 6000 grit for finishing/honing, so they're the numbers we'll use in this guide.
The SEIDO 1000/6000 combo grit whetstone is great to start your sharpening journey on a budget. The #1000 grit side is coarse enough to bring a dull knife back to life and the #6000 side is perfect to polish and refine that edge to something that will give you a silky smooth cutting feel and a longer edge life.
Grit less than 1,000 is ideal for reshaping a chipped and/or cracked large-edged knife. Grit between 1,000-3,000 is a good starting point for first-time sharpeners to sharpen noticeably dull knives. Grit between 3,000-6000 should be used after sharpening on a medium-sized stone to adjust your Japanese knife's edge.
For Regular Maintenance: Use a medium grit (800-1000) for regular sharpening to maintain a good edge. Periodically hone the blade with a fine grit (3000-5000) to keep it razor-sharp.
Fine grit whetstones, typically ranging from 4000 to 8000 grit, are essential for achieving razor-sharp edges and polishing blades to perfection. These stones excel at refining and honing edges that have already been sharpened with coarser grits.
For heavy sanding and stripping, you need coarse sandpaper grit measuring 40- to 60-grit; for smoothing surfaces and removing small imperfections, choose medium sandpaper from 80- to 120-grit sandpaper. To finish surfaces smoothly, use a super fine sandpaper with 400- to 600-grit.
As a general rule, the finer the grit, the finer and sharper the edge.
The Knifewear 220 does an excellent job for any steel type, but if you want to get fancy, grab yourself the Shapton 220. It doesn't need any soaking and works really fast. You should also get a 1,000 grit stone to establish a good clean edge before you start polishing.
Using a stone to sharpen a knife is a simple process that's easy to learn but difficult to master. For most knives that fail the tomato test we recommend using a series of three stones to bring your knife back to an excellent edge. The 3 grits we recommend are roughly 400, 1000 and 3000.
Japanese cleavers are excellent for cutting vegetables and proteins, thanks to their weight and thin edges. However, they are not meant for butchery. Avoid cutting through bones to prevent damaging the steel blade and to keep your knives sharp.
The steel inside your Japanese knife is very hard, but not tough, meaning it can chip or get a small nick in the blade when used improperly.
They only need occasional oiling, especially if they're stored for long periods or if the handle is made of wood. Caring for your Japanese knife may seem intricate, but mastering these basic maintenance techniques will ensure your investment lasts a lifetime.
A whetstone can help you to keep the blade of a knife nice and sharp with just one or two strokes, which saves time in the kitchen.
It depends on the stone. Oil stones will last decades or more. Water stones last decades in finer grades but 5–10 years for coarse….
Mid-ranges, from 1000 to 1500, are considered medium grit and are usually the best sharpening stone to use on dull knives. A higher number, from 4000 and above, indicates a fine stone grit with small particles.
Most pros would agree that pulling the blade edge across the whetstone produces the best results. Not only will it bring the knife to its sharpest but it's also a much more effective way to remove chips and imperfections from the blade.
Drag your knife towards you with a firm, even pressure at a 15 to 20-degree angle. Keep in mind that these angles may vary slightly depending on the type of blade you have. Continue repeating these strokes about ten times, then turn the blade over and sharpen the other side.
A kitchen knife should be sharpened every 1-2 months. Hone every week if you prefer a razor-sharp edge. For your professional chef's knife, you should have your knives professionally sharpened every 1-2 years. However, you might also still choose to sharpen them yourself every 2-3 months.