Sharpening Supplies Water Stones

They are excellent. They cut fast. The abrasive density is very high. None of them, 1k and above, develops a mud. It's always just a black swarf. They don't finish as high as other stones of the same grit rating, but they chew through steel. Spyderco PM A11 sharpened easily on them. The 8k has a more obvious scratch pattern where, say, the King 6k, produces a higher polish. That irritated me, because I kind of demand a mirror polish from an 8k stone, but the sharpness was still extreme. No issues with hair whittling off of it. The 400 and 220 wear a bit, but they cut really fast, so you don't spend a ton of time on the stone; I personally consider the "overall wear rate" of the stones to be slow, simply because you raise up a burr so fast.

I would say they are functionally excellent stones that produce great edge very quickly and should provide a long service life. Even the lower stones should offer you at least your money's worth. I really love the 1k. They can all be characterized as maximizing speed for their grit rating, and the higher grits finish lower--they are not good options for extreme polishes. They are also not particularly "fun" stones. Although I appreciate the crisp white, and the other colors they use, other stone brands succeed far better in producing colorful stones that have more enjoyable feedback and creamy mud to play around in.

TL;DR
If you are a sharpening enthusiast: they are worth a try for their functional excellence, but you may find them to be the least "fun"
If you are just looking for functional waterstones: they are great options. They cut fast, offer long service life, and are physically durable. They may be the best all-around choice for this category of buyer
 
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Beansandcarrots said:
They are excellent. They cut fast. The abrasive density is very high. None of them, 1k and above, develops a mud. It's always just a black swarf. They don't finish as high as other stones of the same grit rating, but they chew through steel. Spyderco PM A11 sharpened easily on them. The 8k has a more obvious scratch pattern where, say, the King 6k, produces a higher polish. That irritated me, because I kind of demand a mirror polish from an 8k stone, but the sharpness was still extreme. No issues with hair whittling off of it. The 400 and 220 wear a bit, but they cut really fast, so you don't spend a ton of time on the stone; I personally consider the "overall wear rate" of the stones to be slow, simply because you raise up a burr so fast.

I would say they are functionally excellent stones that produce great edge very quickly and should provide a long service life. Even the lower stones should offer you at least your money's worth. I really love the 1k. They can all be characterized as maximizing speed for their grit rating, and the higher grits finish lower--they are not good options for extreme polishes. They are also not particularly "fun" stones. Although I appreciate the crisp white, and the other colors they use, other stone brands succeed far better in producing colorful stones that have more enjoyable feedback and creamy mud to play around it.

TL;DR
If you are a sharpening enthusiast: they are worth a try for their functional excellence, but you may find them to be the least "fun"
If you are just looking for functional waterstones: they are great options. They cut fast, offer long service life, and are physically durable. They may be the best all-around choice for this category of buyer
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Do you have a recommendation for an effective stone that's fun to use and has good feedback
 
Aerosmith101 said:
Do you have a recommendation for an effective stone that's fun to use and has good feedback
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Well, the Sharpening Supplies stones do offer felt-feedback, so you shouldn't have issues staying on angle, per se. But with that being said, I would recommend the Shapton Glass stones because they, too, are very fast and very hard, but they also produce just the tiniest bit of mud. It is, like, 95% metal filings, but there is just enough mud there to make it creamy feeling where the Sharpening Supplies swarf isn't. This is something that adds to my overall enjoyment of the stone. The Shapton stones are also very durable (they are not prone to surface cracks or anything like that) and they also carry with them the added convenience of splash and go. Finally, they offer my favorite finishing stones. Stropping/backhoning your edge on an 8k, or better yet, a 16k, or even a 30k SG will leave you with one of the sharpest edgest you've ever achieved.

With all that being said, I think it's generally pretty hard to make an outright bad choice with waterstones. Of all the options I've tried, while I would consider the Shapton Glass series very near--if not the--pinnacle of waterstone sharpening, the Sharpening Supplies options are far, far from the bottom of the totem pole.
 
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Beansandcarrots said:
Well, the Sharpening Supplies stones do offer felt-feedback, so you shouldn't have issues staying on angle, per se. But with that being said, I would recommend the Shapton Glass stones because they, too, are very fast and very hard, but they also produce just the tiniest bit of mud. It is, like, 95% metal filings, but there is just enough mud there to make it creamy feeling where the Sharpening Supplies swarf isn't. This is something that adds to my overall enjoyment of the stone. The Shapton stones are also very durable (they are not prone to surface cracks or anything like that) and they also carry with them the added convenience of splash and go. Finally, they offer my favorite finishing stones. Stropping/backhoning your edge on an 8k, or better yet, a 16k, or even a 30k SG will leave you with one of the sharpest edgest you've ever achieved.

With all that being said, I think it's generally pretty hard to make an outright bad choice with waterstones. Of all the options I've tried, while I would consider the Shapton Glass series very near--if not the--pinnacle of waterstone sharpening, the Sharpening Supplies options are far, far from the bottom of the totem pole.
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Do you know what grit standard they use for them
 
I have purchased a boat load of supplies from these folks and they carry nothing but the best
 
Beansandcarrots said:
I would recommend the Shapton Glass stones because they, too, are very fast and very hard, but they also produce just the tiniest bit of mud. It is, like, 95% metal filings, but there is just enough mud there to make it creamy feeling where the Sharpening Supplies swarf isn't. This is something that adds to my overall enjoyment of the stone.
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Agreed.
And the stone once loaded up tends to polish to a little higher level than the fresh stone with the pores cleaned out. I.E., I get fairly polished edges off the Shapton Glass 4,000 !
I mean that's crazy. I often go to 8,000 with other stones as you said :thumbsup:

OP : I'm certainly not saying avoid the Sharpening Supplies stones to get the Shapton Glass. I'm just commenting on what a good hard stone with a little strategic pore filling can do for a near perfect edge.
 
Sharpening-Supplies
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And one more thing; they know how to package the stones you order so they are super well protected and secure in the box. I can't say that for other suppliers.
 
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