Sharpening Supplies

This is a smaller sized 1000/3000 combo stone, designed for chefs who need a portable sharpening option. Though it's not a splash-and-go stone, it does soak rather quickly and provides good cutting speed and tactile feedback. Though the finishing stone is only 3000 grit, it leaves a great polish and a very nice toothy edge appropriate for many kitchen tasks. The 3000 side also makes a great touch-up stone.

This is a smaller sized 1000/3000 combo stone, designed for chefs who need a portable sharpening option.  Though it's not a splash-and-go stone, it does soak rather quickly, and provides good cutting speed and tactile feedback. Though the finishing stone is only 3000 grit, it leaves a great polish and a very nice toothy edge appropriate for many kitchen tasks.  The 3000 side also makes a great touchup stone.  This stone comes with its own base, which provides additional stone height in sharpening and a more stable base on which to sharpen.  This stone holder is designed to work specifically with this stone, and will not work well with other stones.

See video for detailed description

This diamond stone set includes 1 1000 grit diamond stone, 1 stone holder, and 1 nagura for use with diamond stones.  These stones are true splash-and-go stones that work well on every type of steel we have tried.  One of the things we enjoy about these stones when compared to similar diamond stones is that they provide better tactile feedback in use.  They are extremely slow to dish (i've flattened mine about once per year of use) and leave smooth and even finishes.  This 1000 grit stone is fast enough to take over most of your coarse stone duties (aside from major repairs).  The nagura should be used from time to time to help expose fresh abrasive on the stone surface.  They can also be used to wear down high spots to help level the stone.

This diamond stone set includes 1x 1000/6000 grit diamond double-sided stone and 1x stone holder.  These stones are true splash-and-go stones that work well on every type of steel we have tried.  One of the things we enjoy about these stones when compared to similar diamond stones is that they provide better tactile feedback in use, although they are a bit harder and glassier in feel than the single stones themselves. They are extremely slow to dish (I've flattened mine about once per year of use) and leave smooth and even finishes. The edge from the 6000 grit has pretty close to what I consider to be a perfect amount of bite for kitchen use, while the 1000 grit stone is fast enough to take over most of your coarse stone duties (aside from major repairs). Unlike the diamond stone kits, they do not come with nagura stones, although the Extra Coarse/Coarse Nagura that is sold separately can be used from time to time to help expose fresh abrasive on the stone surface, recondition the stones when they load up with particulate, and can also be used to wear down high spots to help level the stone. 

This diamond stone set includes 1x 1000 grit diamond stone, 1x 6000 grit diamond stone, 1x stone holder, and 2x nagura for use with diamond stones.  These stones are true splash-and-go stones that work well on every type of steel we have tried.  One of the things we enjoy about these stones when compared to similar diamond stones is that they provide better tactile feedback in use.  They are extremely slow to dish (i've flattened mine about once per year of use) and leave smooth and even finishes.  The edge from the 6000 grit has pretty close to what i consider to be a perfect amount of bite for kitchen use, while the 1000 grit stone is fast enough to take over most of your coarse stone duties (aside from major repairs).  The nagura should be used from time to time to help expose fresh abrasive on the stone surface.  They can also be used to wear down high spots to help level the stone.

This diamond stone set includes 1 3000 grit diamond stone, 1 stone holder, and 1 nagura for use with diamond stones.  These stones are true splash-and-go stones that work well on every type of steel we have tried.  One of the things we enjoy about these stones when compared to similar diamond stones is that they provide better tactile feedback in use.  They are extremely slow to dish (I've flattened mine about once per year of use) and leave smooth and even finishes. The edge from the 3000 grit leaves a toothy edge that is great for meats and thick-skinned vegetables and fruits, and can easily be used to follow up any medium grit stone, as well as some finer coarse stones.  The nagura should be used from time to time to help expose fresh abrasive on the stone surface.  They can also be used to wear down high spots to help level the stone.

This diamond stone set includes 1 6000 grit diamond stone, 1 stone holder, and 1 nagura for use with diamond stones.  These stones are true splash-and-go stones that work well on every type of steel we have tried.  One of the things we enjoy about these stones when compared to similar diamond stones is that they provide better tactile feedback in use.  They are extremely slow to dish (i've flattened mine about once per year of use) and leave smooth and even finishes. The edge from the 6000 grit has pretty close to what i consider to be a perfect amount of bite for kitchen use, and can easily be used to follow up any medium grit stone, as well as some finer coarse stones.  The nagura should be used from time to time to help expose fresh abrasive on the stone surface.  They can also be used to wear down high spots to help level the stone.

This 150 grit diamond flattening plate is used to keep your stones flat and in good condition. It works quickly and does not stick easily. I've been testing one out for a little bit and find it to cut as fast or maybe slightly faster and sticks less than the DMT's I've been using for many years.

The plate is a solid piece of stainless steel with a layer of diamonds plated on one side.

We recommend using this on stones above 400 grit. You can use it on lower grit stones, but it will more significantly impact the life of the plate. Also, please use light pressure in flattening. Heavy pressure will also negatively impact the lifespan of this flattening plate.

Flitz Ceramic Sealant is a very effective solution for long term storage of carbon steel knives. It protects against oxidation from the elements, whether in storage or on display.

Spray onto an applicator, such as a cotton round, and wipe in long, sweeping motions along the length of the blade. Before the sealant dries, buff with a clean microfiber towel to blend into a smooth finish. It dries completely transparent. 

• Length: 135mm
• Height: 20mm
• Width: 45mm
• Weight: 68g
• Volume: 50ml/1.7 fl oz

Flitz is a metal polish we enjoy for patina and rust removal.  What is great about metal polishes like this is that they can be used on mirror-finished knives, damascus knives, kurouchi knives, etc. without having a significant impact on the overall look unlike rust erasers, BKF, sandpaper, etc.  While they are not as aggressive as abrasive means, they work quite well, are easy to use, and are faster than you would expect.  They can even be used for daily maintenance of carbon steel blades.  In addition to your knives (both stainless and carbon), they can be used on pots, pans, other metal objects (silverware, jewelry), and even things like fiberglass. 

To use this, apply a tiny bit to a cotton pad, soft towel, or similar, spread over the surface you intend to clean, and, with a bit of elbow grease, rub until you start to see the patina or rust come off.  Once it's mostly off, switch to a new pad or clean section of your towel, and continue to buff until the surface looks clean and shiny.  You can apply this multiple times if necessary. For easy cleanup, it helps to do this with the object on a paper towel.  Also, when working near the edge, rotate the edge into the paper towel a bit, so as not to risk cutting yourself.  Prior to using the knife with food, please make sure to clean it well with soap and water.

Flitz is a metal polish we enjoy for patina and rust removal.  What is great about metal polishes like this is that they can be used on mirror-finished knives, damascus knives, kurouchi knives, etc. without having a significant impact on the overall look unlike rust erasers, BKF, sandpaper, etc.  While they are not as aggressive as abrasive means, they work quite well, are easy to use, and are faster than you would expect.  They can even be used for daily maintenance of carbon steel blades.  In addition to your knives (both stainless and carbon), they can be used on pots, pans, other metal objects (silverware, jewelry), and even things like fiberglass. 

To use this, apply a tiny bit to a cotton pad, soft towel, or similar, spread over the surface you intend to clean, and, with a bit of elbow grease, rub until you start to see the patina or rust come off.  Once it's mostly off, switch to a new pad or clean section of your towel, and continue to buff until the surface looks clean and shiny.  You can apply this multiple times if necessary. For easy cleanup, it helps to do this with the object on a paper towel.  Also, when working near the edge, rotate the edge into the paper towel a bit, so as not to risk cutting yourself.  Prior to using the knife with food, please make sure to clean it well with soap and water.

Stone fixers are a very important part of the sharpening process.  Keeping one's stone flat helps with angle consistency, and is absolutely crucial when working on wide bevel and single bevel knives.  Though I often use diamond stone fixers, I wanted to have an alternative for those who don't like to use diamond.  Some of the downsides of diamond flattening stones are that they tend to be smaller in size (sometimes smaller than the stones they are flattening) and that they tend to wear more quickly on coarse stones.  This addresses both of those issues.  Though it isn't quite as fast as a diamond stone, this one is pretty close.  However, it works great on really coarse stones and, as I was happy to find out, on specific types of diamond stones that I like to use (for example our 1000 and 6000 stones, as well as the 800 grit vitrified diamond stone I use every day).  

Both sides of this flattening stone can be used.  The side with grooves is designed to not stick on very muddy stones, while the non-grooved side has a bit more surface area and cuts a bit faster.  This can be used to flatten stones ranging from very coarse to ultra fine.  In the case of natural stones, you may want to refinish the stone surface after flattening, using a nagura or something similar.  This is not necessary with synthetic stones, though you are always welcome to do so.

Please keep in mind that this is essentially a very hard and very coarse synthetic stone, and while it is designed to be used for flattening, from time to time, this stone will need to be flattened as well.  This can be done in a variety of ways, including using a flat section of the sidewalk outside to flatten this.  You can also try extremely coarse sand paper on a hard/flat surface.  Lastly, the non-grooved side of this stone can be used as an ultra coarse stone for very serious sharpening repairs.

The Gesshin™ 1000 Grit Extra Large Sharpening Stone is a great Nakato (middle stone).  Like this rest of the Gesshin™ stones, I have been testing this one for quite some time now.  This stone is a new addition to our lineup. As a soaking stone, it has great feedback, cuts fast, and works well on a variety of steels. Its a medium hardness stone that can work up mud pretty easily. Being that it is not a super hard stone, it does dish while in use, which is part of the reason we offer this in the extra large size. This extra large size makes it nice for professional kitchens, where many people use the same stone. Likewise, some home cooks and professional sharpeners may prefer the larger working surface area. Stones this size tend to last for a very long time.  This stone should be soaked for about 10 minutes before use.  It can be stored in water with no problems.  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™ 1000/6000 combo stone is the best combination stone I've ever used. Combo stones are often known for putting together mediocre quality stones, often in a smaller than normal size. When we decided to make this stone, we took two amazing full-size stones and put them together. The 1000 grit side of this is the same as our Gesshin™ Grit Extra Large Sharpening Stone. It is a great Nakato (middle stone). Like this rest of the Gesshin™ stones, I have been testing this one for quite some time now. This stone is a new addition to our lineup. As a soaking stone, it has great feedback, cuts fast, has great tactile feedback, and works well on a variety of steels. It's a medium hard stone that can work up mud pretty easily. It also happens to be pretty dish resistant. The 6000 grit side is a very fast cutter, muddy, works well on all types of steel, and leaves a very nice finish.

This stone is great for single bevel and double bevel knives alike...from normal sharpening to uraoshi, to koba (microbevels), to hamaguri edges this stone is a great all around stone. If you're looking for a one-stone setup, maybe even something to keep at work, this is your stone.

This stone should be soaked for about 5-10 minutes before use.  It can be used as a splash and go, but it really does much better with a short soak.  It can be stored in water with no problems.  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. Please keep in mind that these stones may vary in color saturation from batch to batch as a function of the manufacturing process.

The Gesshin 1200 is a resinoid based stone with a white alumina oxide abrasive.   This stone is on the soft side, very fast cutting, and leaves a nice even finish. The edge has a good amount of bite for kitchen use, though many people choose to follow up the grit range with something higher grit. This stone works great for single bevel and double bevel knives alike. It cuts very well on all kinds of steel I have tested it on, from white steel to ZDP-189. It works best when you allow the togidoro (mud and swarf from sharpening) to build up a tiny bit. This stone easily cleans up scratches from coarse stones (400-600 grit), and I have even used it directly from a 220 Gesshin stone before with no trouble.

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 reduces 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™ 1500 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 1500 grit would suggest (the edge is, however, clearly 1500 grit in feeling).  Though it does not leave contrast between hagane and jigane, it does leave a very consistent and even polished edge.  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™ 2000 Grit Sharpening Stone is an awesome naka toishi (medium grit stone).  Like this rest of the Gesshin™ stones, I have been testing this one for quite some time now.  This is my all time favorite stone in the 800-2000 grit range.  It cuts as fast as most other 1000 grit stones, despite being a higher grit.  It has amazing feedback, it is extremely fast cutting, is not too hard for kitchen knives, leaves a very good finish, and resists dishing well.  Like the Gesshin™ 400 and 4000, this stone works well on all kinds of steel, from simple carbon to high tech powdered stainless.  This stone can be used as your final stone in a pinch, as it leaves a nicer finish than other 1000 grit stones.  It also makes a great precursor to finishing stones.  You can easily jump from a coarse stone (as low as 220 grit in my experience) to this one, and, when you’ve finished sharpening on this stone, you will be left with a very nice toothy edge.  This is one of my most used medium grit stones.  This stone needs to be soaked at least 15 minutes before use (30 or more is ideal).  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™ 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™ 3000 Grit Sharpening Stone is an awesome shiage toishi (finishing stone). Like this rest of the Gesshin™ stones, this is something we have spent quite a bit of time testing and developing.  It makes a great alternative to higher grit finishing stones for users looking for a more toothy feeling edge. It has amazing feedback, it is extremely fast cutting, is not too hard for kitchen knives, leaves a very good finish, and resists dishing well (being a harder stone). Like the Gesshin™ 400 and 2000, this stone works well on all kinds of steel, from simple carbon to high tech powdered stainless. This stone can be used as your final stone or as a step up to something in the 6000+ grit range. You can easily jump from a medium grit stone (or even one as low as 700 grit) to this one, and, when you’ve finished sharpening on this stone, you will be left with a very nice toothy edge (within the scope of what one might expect for a finishing stone). I have been using this as a finishing stone for many knives nowadays. 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. 

*Please be aware that, due to difficulties in manufacturing this stone, you may see some light hairline cracks or rough edges. We do our best to manage this, but these should not affect performance in any way, and are not likely to become worse over time. If you have issues that are affecting performance, please let us know so we can better assist you.

The Gesshin™ 3000 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 touch up 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 3000 grit would suggest (the edge is, however, clearly 3000 grit in feeling).  Though it does not leave contrast between hagane and jigane, it does leave a very consistent and even polished edge.  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™ 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™ 4000 Grit Sharpening Stone is an awesome shiage toishi (finishing stone).  Like this rest of the Gesshin™ stones, I have been testing this one for quite some time now.  This is my favorite stone in the 3000-6000 grit range of any stone I have used up to this point.  It has amazing feedback, it is extremely fast cutting, is not too hard for kitchen knives, leaves a very good finish, and resists dishing well.  Like the Gesshin™ 400 and 2000, this stone works well on all kinds of steel, from simple carbon to high tech powdered stainless.  This stone can be used as your final stone or as a step up to something in the 8000+ grit range.  You can easily jump from a medium grit stone (or even one as low as 700 grit) to this one, and, when you’ve finished sharpening on this stone, you will be left with a very nice toothy, yet refined edge.  I have been using this as a finishing stone for many knives now days.  This stone needs to be soaked at least 15 minutes before use (30 or more is ideal).  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.

*Please be aware that, due to difficulties in manufacturing this stone, you may see some light hairline cracks or rough edges. We do our best to manage this, but these should not affect performance in any way, and are not likely to become worse over time. If you have issues that are affecting performance, please let us know so we can better assist you.

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 6000 splash and go stone is a resinoid based stone with a white alumina oxide abrasive.  It is a medium hardness stone with great cutting speed and excellent polish.  It works well for a variety of tasks, including sharpening single and double bevel knives, uraoshi sharpening, and even microbevels.  It is one of the stones I use most often as a finishing stone when sharpening for customers, as it leaves a great balance of refinement and bite.  One of the things I like most about this stone is that the polish it leaves is incredibly smooth and even, which makes this one of my go to stones for wide bevels and single bevel knives.  I have found it to be pretty fast on all steels, including high wear resistance and difficult to sharpen steels.

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.

In an effort to improve our current stone lineup, we have added the Gesshin 6000s.  This stone is a soaking stone, unlike our blue speckled Gesshin 6000.  The Gesshin 6000s is a bit softer feeling, and a lot more muddy.  It is a very fast cutting stone, even on wear resistant steels... faster than our other Gesshin 6000.  It leaves a semi-bright mirror-like finish, though the aesthetic finish is a bit less bright and smooth than our blue speckled Gesshin 6000.  This stone has a creamy, yet connected feel, and works well on both double and single bevel knives, in terms of ease of use.  Think of this as a lower grit version of our Gesshin 8000.

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.

The Gesshin™ 8000 Grit Sharpening Stone is an awesome shiage toishi (finishing stone).  Like this rest of the Gesshin™ stones, I have been testing this one for quite some time now.  This is one of my favorite stone in the 8000+ grit range.  It has amazing feedback, it extremely fast cutting, works up mud easily, is not too hard for kitchen knives, leaves a very nice finish, and resists dishing well.  Like the Gesshin™ 400, 2000, and 4000, this stone works well on all kinds of steel, from simple carbon to high tech powdered stainless.  This stone makes a great finishing stone for your kitchen knives.  It is best to use this stone after using a stone in the 4000-6000 grit range.  The edge this stone leaves is refined with just enough tooth for ktichen purposes.  The finish is whiteish hazy and the stone gives decent contrast between softer cladding and core steels on wide bevel clad knives.  This stone should be soaked for about 5 minutes before use.  I do not store mine in water, but I have tested storing the stone in water and saw no problems.  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 stone may or may not include the nagura stone depicted in the product photos.

The Gesshin Jinzo Aoto (synthetic aoto) is a very soft medium grit stone designed to leave a very nice, smooth, even finish on wide bevel and single bevel knives, while providing great contrast between the hagane (core steel) and jigane (cladding).  People often go to natural stones for this kind of finish, but this synthetic stone offers the best-looking finish I have seen from a synthetic stone with the greatest ease (keep in mind that this is not a finishing stone... its a medium grit stone, so there may be some visible scratch pattern... however, it is often very smooth and uniform).  The key to using this stone is working up mud.  Because it is very soft, it is very muddy.  Even just a little bit of sharpening will create a large amount of mud.  The more mud you can use, and the less pressure you sharpen with, the better your results will be.

This stone also happens to be great for very hard and wear-resistant steels.  Because of its softness, it releases a lot of fresh abrasive very quickly, thus helping the cutting speed.  We especially recommend this as a great medium grit stone for honyaki knives and similar types of steel.

Because this stone is very soft, it is important to try and use the entire surface of the stone more evenly.  Also, you may find it necessary to flatten a bit more than harder stones.  The finish this stone leaves is worth it though.

This stone can be stored in water, but please be careful when drying it out, as that is the most delicate time for the stone.  It should be allowed to dry in cool, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight, so as to dry slowly and evenly.  For soaking, this stone works best with 5 minutes of soaking.

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. 

The Gesshin Synthetic Natural is a resinoid stone.  This stone is a medium hardness, relatively fast cutting stone, and leaves white-ish polished finish with very light and fine, but slightly visible scratches.  Because the stone is on the softer side, we increased the thickness.  It doesn't dish fast by any means, but it does dish faster than some other finishing stones we have (like the Gesshin 6000 Resinoid Stone).  We designed this stone to mimic the edge feel from natural finishing stones (like a takashima awasedo, hideriyama, or oouchi).  While it does an excellent job at this, it does not leave the same kind of aesthetic finish as natural stones, nor does it feel like a natural stone in use.  It has a creamy feel, though it provides very nice tactile feedback.  The stone can achieve some contrast on clad knives, depending on the type of cladding and core steel, but that is not its main strength.  The goal of this stone, which it achieves very well, is to provide an edge that offers a refined cut, but the tactile feedback of something like a 3000 grit stone (though the level of refinement is clearly higher overall in feel and use).  Because of the kind of edge it leaves, it tends to have a bit of impact on edge retention as well.  The stone combines different grits in a specific way to help for edges with different sized microscopic "teeth".  This is the result of quite a bit of testing and development over the course of about 2 years.  This stone easily cleans up scratches from medium grit stones (1k-2k), and some higher girt coarse stones (in the 600-800 grit range depending on the stone).  It can easily be used as a final finishing stone for a variety of applications from meat to veggies to fish.

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.

This particular awasedo from the Hideriyama was recommended to us by one of our natural stone dealers. The Hideriyama stones are similar to what I have come to expect from the natural stones I like for kitchen knives.  It finishes somewhere around 8k for the most part, which still provides a bit of bite despite the higher grit rating.  The stones are medium hardness.  They will develop a decent bit of mud rather quickly.  I was able to achieve very nice contrast and beautiful and even looking kasumi finishes on a wide variety of knives and steel types.  In general, it feels like a more refined version of the Takashima awasedo (which I still enjoy a lot).

The sides of this stone are lacquered to add protection and stability to the stone.

Natural stones from this region are rich in silica, which acts as a main abrasive. This regions' natural stones all have about the same fineness of grit to being with (around 6-8k) and the potential finish can go up from there, depending on the stone hardness, the pressure you use during sharpening, water, etc.

This stone should be used like a splash and go stone... add just enough water to lubricate the surface, but not too much.  The goal is to develop mud, so keeping the surface very wet is prohibitive to mud development.

This particular awasedo from the Hideriyama was recommended to us by one of our natural stone dealers. The Hideriyama stones are similar to what I have come to expect from the natural stones I like for kitchen knives.  It finishes somewhere around 8k for the most part, which still provides a bit of bite despite the higher grit rating.  The stones are medium hardness.  They will develop a decent bit of mud rather quickly.  I was able to achieve very nice contrast and beautiful and even looking kasumi finishes on a wide variety of knives and steel types.  In general, it feels like a more refined version of the Takashima awasedo (which I still enjoy a lot).

The sides of this stone are lacquered to add protection and stability to the stone.

Natural stones from this region are rich in silica, which acts as a main abrasive. This regions' natural stones all have about the same fineness of grit to being with (around 6-8k) and the potential finish can go up from there, depending on the stone hardness, the pressure you use during sharpening, water, etc.

This stone should be used like a splash and go stone... add just enough water to lubricate the surface, but not too much.  The goal is to develop mud, so keeping the surface very wet is prohibitive to mud development.

This particular awasedo from the Hideriyama was recommended to us by one of our natural stone dealers. The Hideriyama stones are similar to what I have come to expect from the natural stones I like for kitchen knives.  It finishes somewhere around 8k for the most part, which still provides a bit of bite despite the higher grit rating.  The stones are medium hardness.  They will develop a decent bit of mud rather quickly.  I was able to achieve very nice contrast and beautiful and even looking kasumi finishes on a wide variety of knives and steel types.  In general, it feels like a more refined version of the Takashima awasedo (which I still enjoy a lot).

The sides of this stone are lacquered to add protection and stability to the stone.

Natural stones from this region are rich in silica, which acts as a main abrasive. This regions' natural stones all have about the same fineness of grit to being with (around 6-8k) and the potential finish can go up from there, depending on the stone hardness, the pressure you use during sharpening, water, etc.

This stone should be used like a splash and go stone... add just enough water to lubricate the surface, but not too much.  The goal is to develop mud, so keeping the surface very wet is prohibitive to mud development.

The King 1000 Grit stone is a great beginner's stone.  It is a medium grit sharpening stone.  This stone needs to be soaked at least 15 minutes before use.  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 large size version for restaurant or other high volume use (or just for fun at home)

The King 1000 Grit stone is a great beginner's stone.  It is a medium grit sharpening stone.  This stone needs to be soaked at least 15 minutes before use.  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 large size version for restaurant or other high volume use (or just for fun at home)

The King 1000/6000 combo stone is a nice 1-stone setup for beginners or those looking for a nice simple travel/work setup.  It takes care of the medium grit stone and finishing stone needs.  We recommend soaking this stone for about 10-15 minutes before use.

The King 6000 Grit stone is a great beginner's stone.  It is a finishing stone.  This stone can be used as a splash and go stone, but I find it works best with a couple minutes of soaking.  This stone can be used as the final stone is a sharpening progression.  This stone comes with a base attached.

The large flattening plate is a two-sided device, featuring extra-coarse and coarse sides.  The extra-coarse side is for quick flattening of all stones, while the coarse side can be used to refine finer grit stones after using the extra coarse side.  The inner material now made from metal, which helps with resistance to warping and makes this a very stable device to flatten on.

This flattening plate is designed to be used with wet stones and can be used with water.  Do not use with a dry stone.

The Large Stone Holder is exactly the same as the one we include with our Stone Holder With Base product, however, in this case, it is just the Stone Holder being sold.  This is a large rubber holder that features one screw.  In our experience, the one screw setup is much easier to deal with than 2, and provides equal stability and security.  This stone holder is also larger than many other stone holders on the market, and thus will be able to fit larger stones and stones with bases (from about 150mm to 250mm).  Also, because of its size, and the type of rubber used, this stone holder is very resistant to slipping when used on its own (i.e. it doesn't slide around because the rubber has a nice tack to it).  This stone holder works exceptionally well with our stone bridge or sink bridge.

The stone holder can exhibit a strong rubber smell in the beginning, but this does go away with some time.  Washing can also help.

The Long Leather Paddle Strop includes the strop and a stick of green polishing compound. The strop is double-sided, with one side having more texture and the other being more smooth.  It can be used with or without the compound.  Without the compound, it can help with burr removal. With the compound, it also helps with burr removal, but provides additional refinement at the cost of losing a bit of edge bite.

Though strops are not necessary for your knife sharpening, the do have an effect on edge refinement.  If you prefer smoother cutting edges or struggle with burr removal, this can be a good tool for you.