The best first whetstone to buy is a 1000-grit medium stone. It removes just enough steel to repair a dull edge while leaving a razor-sharp, refined finish. For convenience and value, a combination stone featuring 1000-grit on one side and 6000-grit on the other for polishing is highly recommended.
The best sharpening stones for beginners are dual-grit diamond plates (like the DMT DuoSharp) or ceramic water stones (like the Shapton Kuromaku 1000). These options eliminate the messy soaking required by traditional stones, cut metal efficiently, and don't require flattening maintenance.
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.
Always start with the 1000 grit side to sharpen and establish a sharp edge, then move to the 6000 grit side to polish and hone the edge to a fine finish. The 1000 grit acts as your primary sharpening stone, while the 6000 grit is for refining and polishing.
If your knives are very dull or have nicks and chips, start with a coarse grit, such as 200 to 400, to remove the imperfections and reshape the edge. Once you have achieved the desired shape, move on to a medium grit, around 1000 to 3000, to refine the edge and remove any remaining scratches.
Choosing the Best Grit for Sharpening Knives
For most home cooks, a 1000-grit stone is the best option to get started. Follow up with a 4000 or 6000 grit stone to polish the edge. An 8000 grit is very effective for those who want an exceptionally refined mirror finish.
What Is Sandpaper Grit? Sandpaper grit is sized by a gauge number, with lower numbers signifying larger, coarser grits. For example, #24- or #40-grit sandpaper is a very coarse, rough sandpaper, while the #1,000-grit paper is extremely fine with very small abrasive particles.
Finer Stones (3000 – 6000 Grit)
These stones help clean up the edge after sharpening. They smooth out any roughness left behind by lower grits and prepare the blade for polishing. 3000 Grit: Good for refining after a 1000 grit sharpening. 6000 Grit: Often used for routine maintenance and polishing for kitchen knives.
If you are just stropping and finishing a regular edge, yes it's totally fine I wouldn't waste money on a mid step. If you are thinning / polishing or working on a wide bevel you still can do it it's just going to take longer. A 3k between isn't a bad idea. You can, but every time you do God kills a kitten.
Gordon Ramsay primarily uses a traditional honing steel (or sharpening rod) to maintain knife edges before use, emphasizing safety and consistent 45° angles. While he often uses professional whetstones for deep sharpening, modern demonstrations (and fan-used products) have shown the Tumbler Rolling Sharpener to be highly effective for achieving a razor-sharp edge on his knives.
In the sharpening phase, we do not recommend any current WD-40® Brand Products although some may be used later for storage & protection. For sharpening stones the lubrication can come from water or oil.
Cutting boards made of glass, granite, ceramic, or your dinner plate may look stylish or convenient, but they are the fastest way to destroy a knife's edge. These surfaces are harder than your knife's steel. So every time your blade contacts them, it suffers microscopic edge deformation, chipping, or even rolling.
Use a 400-grit whetstone for heavy-duty knife repairs and reprofiling. It is your go-to grit for fixing chipped or deeply gouged blades, establishing a new bevel angle, or sharpening a knife that is so completely dull it would take far too long on a traditional 1000-grit medium stone.
When using a whetstone, you should use both pushing and pulling strokes for the most effective sharpening session.
Rule #1: It is important to use a knife adapted to what you want to do / food you want to prepare. For example, you shouldn't use a bread knife to slice a roast or use the blade of a paring knife and use it as a screwdriver (don't laugh, we've all done it!) Rule #2: Don't drop your knife on the floor.
We usually leave this job to our partners), we suggest getting combination whetstone, something between 1000 and 6000 grit. Like this King's combination whetstone. These two stones and an inexpensive flattener will carry you a very long way. Add other stones or stropping supplies in the future as you learn.
Grit 2000: Slightly coarser, ideal for removing fine scratches, swirl marks, and imperfections left by coarser grits. Leaves a smooth but matte finish. Grit 3000: Finer and designed for achieving a glossy, mirror-like finish.
Yes, 2000-grit sandpaper will actively remove (or "cut") a thin layer of your clear coat. Because it is a highly refined abrasive, it is primarily used in wet-sanding to flatten minor imperfections and prepare a dull surface for a high-gloss buffing phase.
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.
Pull-through sharpeners are not universally "bad," but they are generally discouraged for high-quality or expensive knives. They offer quick, convenient edge maintenance but are highly aggressive, removing excess metal and often leaving a fragile, jagged edge.
600 grit is finer than 400 grit.
Coarse grits (e.g., 300) are suitable for repairs, medium grits (300-500) for basic sharpening, and fine grits (500-1000) for fine sharpening and polishing. For most European knife types, a sharpening angle of 15 degrees is ideal.
Wet sanding doesn't just use water to lubricate the wet sanding-specific sandpaper. You can also use WD-40 if you're sanding bare metal. In some cases, you may even want to add a bit of detergent to help reduce water tension on your sanding surface.