Knife Sharpening Stone Kit - 400/1000 3000/8000 Grit Japanese Whetstone Sharpener Set with Non-Slip Rubber Base Angle Guide Flattening Stone and Leather Strop

Using the better pull through sharpeners or a steel keeps knives in a decent condition but every so often they do need to go back to a basic sharpening to restore that surgical edge.My father used to use an oil stone for plane blades and chisels, and I still have it, although it is a bit messy for knives. Oilstones are much harder and slower working but do give a fine, polished edge. This kit uses the much cleaner whetstones using water as the lubricant. It comes with a guide for chisels and the like, which I don’t need as I practice woodturning so have jigs and a grindstone which does the job, although grindstones are not as convenient to use for knives.The kit includes a guide to set the angle right for knives and two whetstones with a different grit rating on each face to give 400 (coarse), 1,000, 3,000 and 8,000 (very fine) grit compound stones. This gives you the range of sharpening and polishing stones to cover a wide range of blade types from scissors and shears to fine boning knives.With whetstones softer than oilstones they do wear out of true faster so a harder flattening stone is included to restore a perfectly level surface.The stones are placed in a bamboo frame with a non-slip base to give a fair degree of stability in use. Also included is a leather strop, another thing my father had and used back in the days when razor blades were resharpened. The strop comes with polishing compound. Polishing is not absolutely necessary but does give a professional looking finish to the job.The kit also includes a pair of cut resistant gloves which might be a safety feature but make holding knives for sharpening a bit cumbersome, so it is easier to work without them.I have not had the kit long enough to talk about durability, but it seems well made and does a fine job of sharpening and polishing. I went through our entire kitchen knife collection, some reasonably sharp, some less so, and brought each knife back to frightening sharpness, able to cut through a sheet of A4 and thinly slice tomatoes without effort.It does take longer than sharpening with a steel or pull though knife sharpener, quite a few minutes to get a fine edge, but it is far superior to other methods of sharpening and only needs doing every so often, depending upon usage, using a steel before each use in between sharpening sessions to keep the edge in decent condition.That being said, it is quite therapeutic, a slow-paced process with a satisfying result. My knives were not in a terrible condition, just not as sharp as they were when they were bought, the sort of bluntness that comes over time shown by, for example, force needed to penetrate tomato skins for slicing, or cuts needing more force to be clean. This kit has brought them back to light touch razor sharpness.There are other, similar kits around, which probably will manage the same results, but this was the one I bought based on price and contents and I am happy with product and the results.

As someone who isn’t a chef and has little experience with knives, I found this Knife Sharpening Stone Kit to be excellent for restoring my battered blade. My knife was dull and wavy from years of using cheap manual sharpeners, which really don’t maintain blades well.Using the stones took some getting used to, and the process didn’t feel completely natural by the time I finished. However, with a bit of practice, I’m sure it would become much easier. Even with my lack of experience, my knife looked and performed better than it has in years—not perfect, but that’s more on me than the kit itself.If you’re new to sharpening, this kit is forgiving enough to give great results while you learn. It even comes with a little tutorial leaflet. Highly recommended!

Great stones, great holders but lousy strop. It’s so thin that I cut through it just trying to use it.

Great quality and easy to use. Saves a small fortune as my wife's horse clipper blades need regular sharpening .

This kit is surprising. The quality of every component is excellent. I had sent a knife away to a specialist sharpening company and wasn't happy with the result - hence the purchase of this item. After soaking the stones for a good 30 minutes, using the 400 followed by the 1000 grit resulted in an incredibly sharp edge in less than 15 minutes - and I'm a total beginner when it comes to sharpening knives. With the angle guide you really can't go wrong. Highly recommended.

Good product and it came promptly. it's got my japaneses skiving knife very sharp

Great item, quality looks brilliant, the stones are heavy for the size. Im a beginner and iv sharpened kitchen knives with one of those hand held wheels for a while, the comparison is amazing. See pictures of everything you get inside the box

I have not used it yet but it looks like it will be ideal for the price.