- Joined
- Jan 23, 2017
- Messages
- 956
The point about carbides is made.
When I said Shapton & Chosera were the hardest water stones, I mean feel, of the entire brick. As far as abrasives go, I believe they are all the same. So in fact a softer stone like a Cerax may have an advantage by releasing fresh grit.
I did forget to mention the newer Naniwa Diamond stones, which seek to give the feel of water stones while having the effectiveness of diamond stones. Slower than DMTs and EZE-Lap while being $$$. Good reviews, haven't tried them.
You can reprofile with water stones, but you end up with the issue of carbide tear out. While the carbides are harder than the abrasives in water stones, the stones are harder than the steel holding the carbides. Not a desirable result.
Like some - and quite a few in the Japanese Knife world - I like good feel in my whetstones. Diamonds don't offer that, but I recommend them for sheer effectiveness if you have Elmax, M390, S30VN, etc. This is one of the reasons I have few knives with those steels except S30 & S35VN. I like what my water stones, Belgians, & Arkansas can handle. Or rather those are the stones I prefer and choose versions of knives that fit them.
Of course this means I have a whole pile of stones.
When I said Shapton & Chosera were the hardest water stones, I mean feel, of the entire brick. As far as abrasives go, I believe they are all the same. So in fact a softer stone like a Cerax may have an advantage by releasing fresh grit.
I did forget to mention the newer Naniwa Diamond stones, which seek to give the feel of water stones while having the effectiveness of diamond stones. Slower than DMTs and EZE-Lap while being $$$. Good reviews, haven't tried them.
You can reprofile with water stones, but you end up with the issue of carbide tear out. While the carbides are harder than the abrasives in water stones, the stones are harder than the steel holding the carbides. Not a desirable result.
Like some - and quite a few in the Japanese Knife world - I like good feel in my whetstones. Diamonds don't offer that, but I recommend them for sheer effectiveness if you have Elmax, M390, S30VN, etc. This is one of the reasons I have few knives with those steels except S30 & S35VN. I like what my water stones, Belgians, & Arkansas can handle. Or rather those are the stones I prefer and choose versions of knives that fit them.
Of course this means I have a whole pile of stones.