Hones for knife honing.

[jzono1]

I'm all set for honing my razors: 4/8k norton, 12k chinese, nakayama.

I'm lacking the lower end of the grit range. I think I need a 300-ish and a 1200-ish grit hone to have a complete range.

Natural hones would be neat, I like feedback & pretty natural stones, but if it's too pricey I'd go for a synthetic setup. Suggestions on what to pick?

dmt 8c & 8e sounds great - but what are the alternatives? I like feedback and a hone that makes honing enjoyable.

 

[leighton]

There are Norton 1k/220, Nani 1k, 220, Shapton 1k/something, and others.

 

[Sticky]

DMT C 325 and E 1200 work well for knives and don't need to be lapped before switching them to a razor.

I like the feedback from the diamond hones, once they wear-in a little.

If I used only one knife hone, it would be a DMT F 600. I carry one of those (the red one in my current avatar) in my back pocket all the time.

 

[SavantStrike]

DMT C 325 and E 1200 work well for knives and don't need to be lapped before switching them to a razor.

I like the feedback from the diamond hones, once they wear-in a little.

If I used only one knife hone, it would be a DMT F 600. I carry one of those (the red one in my current avatar) in my back pocket all the time.

I actually managed to put a tiny scratch in my D8E honing a knife. I think it was my own dumb fault because straights aren't curved and I wasn't used to honing a curved blade.

I ended up getting a set of mini DMT's for 20 bucks. It's got 220, 600, and 1200 grit mini stones (and I do mean MINI). They still cut pretty quickly though so they work fine for smaller knives. I wouldn't dream of doing something big on them...

 

[citizensoldierny]

How sharp do you need your knives to be? I use a Spyderco sharpmaker and this does the job just fine. And only costs approx. $50. Any sharper than a sharpmaker can get a knife I would think would make for a real brittle edge.

 

[Sticky]

How sharp do you need your knives to be?
...

Not too sharp; usually just sharp enough to shave hair off my arm (with ease, dry) at skin level; around 600-1200 level. For more sharpness I use a Lansky or Gatco ceramic "dogbone". On the finest kitchen knives I will go up to 8k, assuming the knife can hold an edge that fine. For pocket and field knives I never go to 8k.

I don't have a Sharpmaker, but I do have a Spyderco Medium and Fine bench hone. If they are the same grit as the Sharpmakers' stones, then: the Medium, and Fine, will be sharper than the DMT E 1200.

 

[sapito318]

If you are referring to cutlery and pocket knives then a good investment is the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It is an excellent system that is foolproof once you get the hang of it. It does produce a very sharp edge and can also, as was stated, make it a bit brittle. I prefer to stay on the Medium (Brown) stone with most knives as the Fine (white) makes the edge a bit too delicate. I sharpen the serrated edges on the Fine though.

 

[jzono1]

I want hones, not an easy way to get acceptable sharpness.

As I said earlier: feedback matters a lot. I like honing, and I want to enjoy it with more than my two straights.

If I want to get my knifes sharp fast & easy, I can always use the electric grinding wheel whetstone thingey in my grandfather's basement. 8" grinding wheel with builtin lubrication.

I'm wondering if the Naniwa Chosera stones would fit my needs well. Sounds like pretty neat hones.

 

[Devil Doc]

Get a Norton India stone. Medium and Fine combination. An 8in. one. It's all you need and it'll stay flat. I can easily shave the hair on my arms with my knives. Natural stones are nice but go out of flat quickly, especially if you're new at it. The trouble with internet message boards is 9 times out of 10 they make things harder than they need to be.

Doc.

 

[Sticky]

I forgot to add that this is a good one-item solution for camping/hiking/hunting:
Fallkniven DC4 diamond/ceramic whetstone

Mine has seen some rough outdoor use for over a year now, and is still working well. The diamond side is 25u (about 600 mesh).