Keep your Shun knives in razor-sharp condition with the Shun Combination
Shun knives, for example, are sharpened to a 16° angle on each side of the blade.
400 grit is perfectly fine. Lower does not always mean faster cut speed. Its very stone dependent.
The best way to tell is by asking the manufacturer of the knife. As a general guide, European/American knives manufactured before 2010 have 20 degree edges while Asian style knives have 15 degree edges. However, there are exceptions to this rule of thumb.
A 220 grit stone would be appropriate when you're fixing damaged/chipped blades that require a lot of material removal. A 400 is great for your typical dull blade, then to 1000 for honing, and a 5000 for a good final polish.
180 - 220 Grit: Fine. 180 – 220 grit is primarily used for the sanding finish or to sand in-between coats. It is also great for distressing! There are instances where you can use 180 to 220-grit to rough up a piece in preparation for paint, but you do not typically use these grits until after your first coat.
Sharpening stones ranging from 120 to 400 grit are best suited for rough sharpening's, such as removing chips along the edge or restoring a particularly dull blade. In this scenario, we suggest using stones with grits of 120 and 240.
The blade- edge angle for all Zwilling J.A. Henckels cutlery, with the exception of santokus, is 15 degrees on each side (30 degrees total).
While some stones – like those made of diamond or ceramic – can be used dry, they still usually benefit from a little water. Soaking the whetstone is important because it helps protect the stone from damage and wear. Sharpening your knives with a dry stone won't hurt the knife, but it will damage the stone over time.
The last step in sharpening is removing the burr – the hide side of an old leather belt will do, or buy a strop such as this one. A bit of baby oil on the leather will help you get a nice, even covering of the polishing compound. As with most things, you get what you pay for.
A 3000 grit stone will leave a fine edge suitable for many situations, it may have a small amount of tooth to the edge. Water stones 5000 or 6000 are common finishing grits, and give a good slicing edge with a very slight tooth. Water stones 8000 and higher will leave very smooth and polished edge for clean cuts.
#400 grit whetstone is used for coarse sharpening of damaged knives (eg, broken tip, chips or nicks in the blade), or for totally blunt blades if your knives (god forbid) haven't been sharpened in ages.
For the first step in sharpening undamaged and regularly maintained knives, stones with 800-2000 grit are a good choice. For basic sharpening, it is best to use a 1000-grit sharpening stone. Stones with grit sizes above 3000 are suitable for final, smooth sharpening and for removing the burr.
The estimated turnaround time for warranty and sharpening services is 2 weeks.
Every Shun I've owned, sharpened and everything I've read about Shuns, when researching them, says the factory bevel is 16 dps.
The correct sharpening angle for the blade edge of the best Japanese knives is 10 - 15 degrees on one single side. On a one sided blade, or single bevel the angle would therefore be 10 - 15 degrees in total.
Don't run your knife through a knife system or device. Running your blade through a device will unevenly chew up the edge, can scratch the face of the blade, and will not get your knife as sharp as using a whetstone to sharpen. Do not belt sharpen knives.
Short answer is whatever feels comfortable and works for you. I tend to do back and forth while gradually moving up and down the blade. On my cheap utility knives, this works fine all through the grits, then I finish with edge leading on the steel.
It's very important that the knife blade is cleaned after sharpening and before use. There will be small, even microscopic metal particles attached to the blade that the steel has removed. Clean your blade by hand, don't let it soak in any liquids, and dry it immediately to prevent spots and rusting.
Your Shun is designed for a lifetime of use and can be sharpened again and again. When sharpening, it's critical to make sure the knife is sharpened at the correct 16° angle. But remember, sharpening actually removes metal from the blade, so sharpen only when you really need it.
Sharpening at a higher angle will tend to give you a less sharp edge, sharpening at a lower angle will greatly increase the time it takes to sharpen the knife. Maintaining a Consistent Angle - This is a fancy way of saying don't rock the edge when you sharpen.
In general, you can sharpen all kitchen knives and all qualities with the stable 20° angle, because it achieves a very good basic sharpness. But, some knives have special steel compositions and qualities that allow them to be sharpened even finer with the 15° angle.
Start with a fine sharpening stone ranging from 1000 to 3000 grit, followed by an extra-fine sharpening stone ranging from 3000 to 5000 grit. Can the knife cut the tomato without crushing it? If it does your knife is sharp enough for normal use in the kitchen.
Fine Sandpaper, ranging from 120- to 220-grit, is used in most home workshops. This sandpaper is often used for final sanding before a project is completed. Extra-fine Sandpaper, including paper with 240-grit to 600-grit, is used between paintings or varnishing and is best suited for polishing jobs.
Medium grit stones: Medium grit stones, typically in the range of 400-800 grit, are used for general sharpening and refining the edge of a blade. They remove less material than coarse grit stones and are great for maintaining the edge of a knife.