Sharpening Supplies

The diamond 300A stone is a 300 grit diamond stone.  Unlike diamond plates, these stones are constructed in a manner more similar to normal waterstones.  The top ~5mm of the stone is composed of a hard binding agent with diamond abrasive mixed in.  This is then attached to a taller base, such that the whole item together is about the same size as many of the other stones we sell.  Unlike some diamond stones that use metal or aluminum bases, this base is a lightweight, water resistant plastic, which I have found to be lighter and more convenient to use and care for than other bases.

With regard to the stone, we have spent a significant amount of time working with the maker to find the right balance of cutting power, tactile feedback, and resistance to dishing.  Coarse stones tend to get the brunt of work when repairing knives or trying to get through sharpening more quickly.  This stone is rather fast cutting, though it is not particularly muddy.  I use this stone to remove deep 150 grit scratches, which it does with ease, rather quickly.  The scratch pattern it leaves is very consistent and even, and, again, unlike diamond plates with the abrasives plated onto the surface, these stones leave scratches with a depth more similar to regular sharpening stones.  Thanks to their diamond abrasive, they work well on all steel types, including some of the most hard and wear resistant steel.  They can even be used to sharpen ceramic knives.  As the binding agent is not porous, these stones are true splash and go stones.

This diamond stone does dish a bit faster than some other diamond stones, which is why we have it in a thicker stock, and also include a special flattening device for flattening these types of stones.  That being said, it still dishes very slowly, and after over a year of heavy use, I have worn through less than 20% of the stone.  As a comparison, in the same time frame, I was able to wear completely through a different type of diamond stone, and multiple ceramic and resinoid-based stones.  When using the flattening stone, work the high spots down by rubbing those areas in a circular motion.

The Gesshin™ 220 Grit Sharpening Stone is a VERY coarse stone for major repairs, thinning, and removing large chips.  I have been using this stone for about 2 years and have finally decided to add it to our Gesshin lineup.  It works well on all types of steel I have tested it on, from simple carbon steels to the most high-tech and hard stainless steels.  It cuts very quickly and has great feeling and feedback.  It is a bit softer, so it can dish, but relative to its cutting speed, I have not seen this as much of a problem.  It is possible to jump to a middle grit stone from this stone, but I recommend using something like the Gesshin 400 following this.  This stone needs to be soaked at least 15 minutes before use.  I leave mine in water all of the time, so it is ready to go whenever I need it.  If you do leave your stone in water, please change the water regularly.  When drying out this stone or any others, do so out of the sunlight in a well-ventilated area.

The Gesshin™ 320 Grit Sharpening Stone is a very different kind of stone from most that I have seen on the market.  These stones are entirely splash and go... they require no soak whatsoever.  Just a splash of water and they are ready to go.  In fact, its very important that these stones are not soaked, as they will fall apart.  You will notice that the stones are lacquered on all sides but one.  The non-lacquered surface is usable surface (the opposite side from where our logo is).  Because of the way these stones are bound together, they are a bit more brittle than the other stones we have in stock.  It is very important to round the corners of the stone before and after flattening to prevent chipping along the edges.  Initially, the stone surface will show some small pock marks and swirly textures.  It is not necessary to completely flatten this all out, though it will eventially flatten out over time.

We highly recommend flattening the stone before initial use.  The top layer of the stone needs to be removed for peak performance.  This can be done by either flattening or using the stone until that layer is gone.

This is an excellent coarse stone.  Unlike many coarse stones, it dones't feel harsh during use.  It has a very smooth feel, and cuts rather quickly.  It is also slower dishing than most other coarse stones we carry, including our Gesshin 400, 400s, and 600.  The alumina based abrasive works well on a wide variety of steels.  The surface of the stone will look as if it is loading up while sharpening (i.e. it becomes blackish), but as you add water, you will notice that the stone does not load as it cuts.

The Gesshin™ 400 Sharpening Stone is great coarse stone with excellent cutting speed.  It is one of the most enjoyable to use coarse stones I have ever tried.  The tactile feedback is amazing, and the stone does not feel harsh or overly aggressive at all, despite its fast cutting speed.  It leaves a very smooth looking and even finish, which makes this a great coarse stone for wide bevel and single bevel knives.  Though it dishes slightly faster than some other similar coarse stones, the cutting speed difference when using this more than makes up for the difference.  This is a ceramic stone with a variant of white alumina oxide as the abrasive.  It works well on all types of steel I have tested it on, from simple carbons, to the most high tech and hard stainless steels.  It cuts very quickly and leaves a very even finish.  I have no problem jumping directly to a medium grit stone (1000-2000 grit) directly from this stone.  This stone needs to be soaked at least 15 minutes before use (just until the bubbles stop coming out of the stone).  I leave mine in water all of the time, so it is ready to go whenever I need it.  If you do leave your stone in water, please change the water regularly.  When drying out this stone or any others, do so out of the sunlight in a well-ventilated area.

The Gesshin™ 400 Sharpening Stone is an extra large version of our Gesshin 400™ .  It's a great coarse stone with excellent cutting speed.  It is one of the most enjoyable to use coarse stones I have ever tried.  The tactile feedback is amazing, and the stone does not feel harsh or overly aggressive at all, despite its fast cutting speed.  It leaves a very smooth looking and even finish, which makes this a great coarse stone for wide bevel and single bevel knives.  Though it dishes slightly faster than some other similar coarse stones, the cutting speed difference when using this more than makes up for the difference.  This is a ceramic stone with a variant of white alumina oxide as the abrasive.  It works well on all types of steel I have tested it on, from simple carbons, to the most high tech and hard stainless steels.  It cuts very quickly and leaves a very even finish.  I have no problem jumping directly to a medium grit stone (1000-2000 grit) directly from this stone.  This stone needs to be soaked at least 15 minutes before use (just until the bubbles stop coming out of the stone).  I leave mine in water all of the time, so it is ready to go whenever I need it.  If you do leave your stone in water, please change the water regularly.  When drying out this stone or any others, do so out of the sunlight in a well-ventilated area. 

This is longer, wider, and thicker than the normal version of this stone by a significant degree.  Its rather like a large brick, but wider.  I thought the extra surface area would be helpful for larger knives or for places that sharpen a lot, and the added height helps out, as this stone can wear a bit when sharpening (but it always cuts crazy fast).

The Gesshin™ 400S Sharpening Stone is great coarse stone with very good cutting speed.  Speed-wise, it fits between our Gesshin 220 and Gesshin 400 grit stones. The actual grit is more like a 320 grit stone.  It has a very grabby, aggressive tactile feel.  It is a little bit better at resisting dishing than our Gesshin 400 stone.  However, it also leaves deeper scratches.  It works well on all types of steel I have tested it on, from simple carbons, to the most high tech and hard stainless steels.  It cuts very quickly and leaves a very even finish.  I have no problem jumping directly to a medium grit stone (1000-200 grit) directly from this stone.  This stone needs to be soaked at least 15 minutes before use (just until the bubbles stop coming out of the stone).  I leave mine in water all of the time, so it is ready to go whenever I need it.  If you do leave your stone in water, please change the water regularly.  When drying out this stone or any others, do so out of the sunlight in a well-ventilated area.

This is a vitrified stone.

The Gesshin™ 400x Sharpening Stone is very enjoyable coarse stone to use.  It provides great tactile feedback and has very good cutting speed.  Speed-wise, it fits within the range we've come to expect from our 400 grit stones. The actual grit is 320, but being that it acts more similarly to a 400 grit stone, and because it will be replacing our 400s.  It has a grippy and aggressive tactile feel.  The stone is a bit on the softer side, similar to the original Gesshin 400, and so it will dish a bit, but we made the stone larger to compensate for that, so it is significantly larger than the other gesshin 400 stones. It works well on all types of steel I have tested it on, from simple carbons, to the most high-tech and hard stainless steels.  It cuts very quickly and leaves a very even finish, especially due to how muddy it can be.  I have no problem jumping directly to a medium grit stone (1000-200 grit) directly from this stone.  This stone needs to be soaked at least 15 minutes before use (just until the bubbles stop coming out of the stone).  I leave mine in water all of the time, so it is ready to go whenever I need it.  If you do leave your stone in water, please change the water regularly.  When drying out this stone or any others, do so out of the sunlight in a well-ventilated area.

The Gesshin™ 600 Grit Sharpening Stone is a very different kind of stone from most that I have seen on the market.  These stones are entirely splash and go... they require no soak whatsoever.  Just a splash of water and they are ready to go.  In fact, its very important that these stones are not soaked, as they will fall apart.  You will notice that the stones are lacquered on all sides but one.  The non-lacquered surface is usable surface (the opposite side from where our logo is).  Because of the way these stones are bound together, they are a bit more brittle than the other stones we have in stock.  It is very important to round the corners of the stone before and after flattening to prevent chipping along the edges.  Initially, the stone surface will show some small pock marks and swirly textures.  It is not necessary to completely flatten this all out, though it will eventially flatten out over time.

We highly recommend flattening the stone before initial use.  The top layer of the stone needs to be removed for peak performance.  This can be done by either flattening or using the stone until that layer is gone.

This stone makes an excellent daily medium grit stone.  It is fast cutting, slow to dish, and provides an excellent edge, with a solid amount of bite.  The polish this stone leaves also looks like a much higher grit than the 600 grit would suggest (the edge is, however, clearly 600 grit in feeling).  It leaves a little bit of contrast, with nice color, and the scratch pattern is less visible than one might expect for this grit.  The alumina based abrasive works well on a wide variety of steels.  The surface of the stone will look as if it is loading up while sharpening (i.e. it becomes blackish), but as you add water, you will notice that the stone does not load as it cuts.

The Gesshin 600 Resinoid Stone is a soft coarse stone, designed to work well on wide bevel knives and single bevel knives.  One of the issues with wide bevels and single bevels is that harder stones can leave streaks or uneven scratch patterns, and those tend to be more visible with the increased surface area.  By making the stone softer, we are able to improve two things.  First, we increased the cutting speed of this stone, as more fresh abrasive is released more quickly as the binder wears away.  Second, this stone creates a lot more mud, which helps improve the smooth and even finish this stone leaves.  The scratches from this stone are easy to remove with anything from any medium grit stone to some faster cutting finishing stones (i.e. our Gesshin 3000 or Gesshin 6000).

Like all resinoid based stones, this stone needs to be cared for carefully, especially when considering drying.  Resinoid based stones are not very porous, which often causes them to be marketed as splash-and-go.  However, some water does soak in.  My preference is to soak this stone permanently, as soaking helps soften the stone, increases cutting speed, and reducing loading on the stone surface.  If you do soak the stone, or if you think any water has soaked in, and you decided you want to dry the stone out for any reason, you will need to make sure the stone dries as slowly as possible, to help make sure the outer part of the stone does not dry more quickly than the inner part of the stone.  Making sure the stone dries in a cool, well ventilated, dry area, out of direct sunlight is best.  It also helps to wrap the stone with a damp towel to slow the drying process further.  If unaccounted for, drying too quickly can cause cracks to develop in the stone. If cracks do develop, mounting the stone to a base can help extend the life of your stone.

The Gesshin 600 Resinoid Stone is a soft coarse stone, designed to work well on wide bevel knives and single bevel knives.  One of the issues with wide bevels and single bevels is that harder stones can leave streaks or uneven scratch patterns, and those tend to be more visible with the increased surface area.  By making the stone softer, we are able to improve two things.  First, we increased the cutting speed of this stone, as more fresh abrasive is released more quickly as the binder wears away.  Second, this stone creates a lot more mud, which helps improve the smooth and even finish this stone leaves.  The scratches from this stone are easy to remove with anything from any medium grit stone to some faster cutting finishing stones (i.e. our Gesshin 3000 or Gesshin 6000).

This is an extra large verision of this stone, and is 2x larger than the normal version.

Like all resinoid based stones, this stone needs to be cared for carefully, especially when considering drying.  Resinoid based stones are not very porous, which often causes them to be marketed as splash-and-go.  However, some water does soak in.  My preference is to soak this stone permanently, as soaking helps soften the stone, increases cutting speed, and reducing loading on the stone surface.  If you do soak the stone, or if you think any water has soaked in, and you decided you want to dry the stone out for any reason, you will need to make sure the stone dries as slowly as possible, to help make sure the outer part of the stone does not dry more quickly than the inner part of the stone.  Making sure the stone dries in a cool, well ventilated, dry area, out of direct sunlight is best.  It also helps to wrap the stone with a damp towel to slow the drying process further.  If unaccounted for, drying too quickly can cause cracks to develop in the stone. If cracks do develop, mounting the stone to a base can help extend the life of your stone.

The Gesshin 800 grit Vitrified Diamond stone is the most used stone in my personal collection. Since starting to use these a few years ago, they quickly became my favorite. I believe that most professional sharpeners are always on a quest for the best coarse stone they can find, but its always hard to find the perfect coarse stone. This one comes as close as any I have tried. While its not as fast as our Gesshin 220, it is as fast cutting as many 320-400 grit stones. However, being 800 grit, it fits within the medium grit range (naka toishi). The scratches it leaves are not as deep as those from the coarser stones I would normally start with. This allows me to jump directly from this stone to my finishing stones, cutting my sharpening time drastically. For example, a common 2 stone set up in our workshop might include this 800 grit stone and any one of our 3000-8000 grit stones (most often, it ends up being one of our 6000 grit stones). 

Unlike other diamond stones found commonly in the market, this stone acts more like the traditional soaking stones many are used to. It is porous and actually soaks in water while providing a more traditional whetstone feel. Because it is extremely thin, it soaks rather quickly (in just a few seconds), so despite not being technically splash-and-go, it is probably the closest one can get.

As you can see in the picture, the stone is mounted on a glass plate. The stone itself is only about 3mm thick. However, the stone is extremely slow-wearing, and does not need flattening often. As a preventative measure, one should sharpen as evenly as possible on the surface of this stone to prolong flattening intervals as they can be rather tedious, time-consuming, and detrimental to some flattening devices; do not use diamond flattening plates. The most effective device for conditioning and flattening is the pink Gesshin Extra Large Stone Fixer. Also, this stone is particularly aggressive on soft stainless cladding and may leave deeper scratches when cutting on soft stainless cladding.

All in all, this is probably my favorite stone of all of the ones I own.

This Gesshin stone set consists of the stones I recommend most often for the most versatility within our Gesshin stone series.  Our customers have been asking for a stone set to be put together for quite some time, and so we figured we'd give it a shot.  This set will cover both single and double bevel knives well, leave a nice aesthetic finish, cut fast, and work on all steel types that I have tried.  These stones work extremely well together and should provide you with a great sharpening experience.

We hope you enjoy our Gesshin stone set.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE: The Gesshin 400, 2000, and 6000s are soaking stones and thus need to be soaked before use.  Soak for 5 - 10 minutes or until the bubbles stop rising from the stone.