Medium grits (400-1000) are versatile for general sharpening and maintaining blade edges. Fine grits (1000-3000) refine and polish the edge, while ultra-fine grits (8000+) create a mirror finish and razor-sharp edge.
Fine grit stones: Fine grit stones, typically in the range of 1000-3000 grit, are used for polishing and refining the edge of a blade. They remove very little material and are great for giving the blade a mirror finish.
Medium (1000 grit): Ideal for general sharpening and maintaining a sharp edge. This is often considered the standard grit for kitchen knives. Fine (3000-8000 grit): Use this for honing and polishing the edge after sharpening, providing a razor-sharp finish.
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.
At a minimum I'd recommend getting two stones; a #1000 to do the majority of sharpening and a #5000 or #6000 for finish and polish. As an amateur sharpener/knife-wielder, these two stones will serve most if not all of your sharpening needs.
For normal sharpening, stones from 700 to 2000 grit are used. We recommend stones from 700 to 1200 grit. To take off the fine scratches and burrs left by coarser stones, and to polish the surface, you can use stones starting at around 2000 grit.
The 1000 grit whetstone is often considered the go-to starting point for restoring a dull edge, efficiently reshaping the blade while still maintaining its integrity. As the grit increases towards 3000, the stones become less aggressive, focusing more on honing and polishing the edge.
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.
Often orange or brown in color, aluminum oxide stones cut fast and are excellent for creating edges on knives. You'll find these stones labeled as coarse, medium or fine. Aluminum Oxide is a very hard abrasive rated at 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale making it an excellent sharpening abrasive.
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.
A grit range of 4000 is fine enough to bridge the gap between sharpening and finishing. However, a gritstone of 5000 is for finer finishing. On the other hand, 6000 or 8000 grit stones are for super fine finishing.
8,000 - Getting a near-perfect edge
With minimal effort, you can get a very sharp edge and nearly mirror-like polish on your blade. For straight razors that aren't too worn down but have some light scratches or chipping, a grit that comes close to a mirror polish works wonders.
For repairing chips, broken tips or thinning, we recommend a very coarse, 220-grit sharpening stone. For the first step in sharpening a very blunt knife, we recommend a coarse, 400-grit stone. For the first step in sharpening undamaged and regularly maintained knives, stones with 800-2000 grit are a good choice.
The most common system used in the U.S. measures the grits of sandpaper in an ascending order, with the finest grit getting the highest number and coarser grits having lower numbers. In this system, 16-grit is one of the coarsest grades of sandpaper, while 3,000-grit is one of the finest.
Medium Grit Whetstones
This grit range, from 1000 to 3000, is ideal for general sharpening tasks.
A sharpening stone, also known as a whetstone is a kitchen essential used by professional chefs across the globe.
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.
Yes, a whetstone needs to be wet in order to be used. It should be soaked for at least 45 minutes, or per manufacturer instructions, Wetting the stone helps it last longer, while stones used dry tend to wear out faster.
A 17 to 20 degree angle covers most kitchen knives, pocket knives, and outdoor knives. Some knives (typically Japanese manufacturers) will sharpen their knives to roughly 17 degrees. Most western knives are roughly 20 degrees. In fact, a 20 degrees angle is often considered the best sharing point for most knives.
First, you will soak your whetstone in water. Fine grit whetstones only need a few minutes of soaking; some chefs do not soak their fine grit stones to prevent any risk of cracking. Coarse grit whetstones should soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
Carbon steel knives have a reputation of being easier to sharpen than stainless steel blades, plus they stay keen for longer. When you start to notice more cutting resistance as the knife dulls over time, a whetstone is the ideal choice to get it razor-sharp again.
The Meaning of Different Whetstone Grits
For example, if you want to sharpen a knife with chipped edges, you'll need less than 1000 grit. Furthermore, for repairing a dull knife you should go for 1000 to 3000 grit. And, 4000 to 8000 grit is used for refining the edge of a knife which is the finishing process.
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.