Shapton Rock Star 4k

[Steve56]

A new series from Shapton, the Rock Star. 10mm thick but no backing. The backing/stand won’t be a problem, and for $45 for 10mm of Glass Stone abrasive, I’m all in. I haven’t tried it yet, it just arrived so if there’s any difference between the Rock Star and Glass Stone, I’ll post, but Shapton seems to imply that the abrasive is the same. If the price stays the same, these are as cheap as a 10mm Naniwa ‘Super Stone’ or even a little cheaper.

 

[Steve56]

No razor yet, might be a couple of days, but I lapped it and put a carbon steel knife on it.

It’s at least as hard as a 4k Glass Stone and just as fast.

 

[Matt O]

I love my Shapton Glass 4k! If this is the same, except thicker, cheaper, and no glass…that’s a no brainer!

 

[Steve56]

I love my Shapton Glass 4k! If this is the same, except thicker, cheaper, and no glass…that’s a no brainer!

That’s what it is described to be, and what it appears to be. A base isn’t an issue.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Nicely done, Shapton!

 

[rhgg2]

Nice!

Steve, is that US stock or did you import it? Here in Aus we do have list prices and they are about 10%-20% higher than the corresponding GS. For razors I don't see getting through 5mm of GS ceramic any time soon, but it seems like a good deal for knife sharpening.

Also, and a bit confusingly, the micron ratings on these don't match up at all with the GS. The 10k RS is listed as "sub micron" where the GS is 10k is 1.5 micron. The 8k, 6k and 4k are listed as 1, 2 and 3 micron vs the GS which are 1.84, 2.45 and 3.68. I think I trust the grit numbers to match up more as the 16k RS is cheaper than the 10k, which seems to agree with what we know about the tighter grit distribution in the 10k GS.

 

[Steve56]

Hi, it’s a US item, they’ve just started importing them and a few dealers just got the first limited stock.

 

[cotedupy]

This is very interesting to know. Thank you for taking the plunge Steve, it's the first verdict / review of one of the Rockstars I've seen. If they do turn out to be basically the same material as the SG series, then they will be very popular indeed I imagine.

And even if they're not exactly the same, does Shapton put out many sub-par whetstones ever...? No they do not!

I might have to see if I can pick that 4k version up at some point. I've only used the SG4k once or twice, but it's extremely highly rated in the knife world.

 

[Steve56]

Hi Oli, it seems to be rated a little finer as @rhgg2 notes. Shapton also recommends soaking it 5-6 minutes to make it feel smoother.. I’ve used it on a few hard ateel knives and a razor or two, and it is functionally equivalent to the 4k HR GS. If they maintain the price point these will be a bargain.

 

[rhgg2]

it seems to be rated a little finer

If this is indeed a real difference then the 1k stone is quite a bit finer, comparable to the 1.5k shapton pro or 1k chosera. If so it may be the new canonical shapton bevel setter.

 

[Steve56]

If this is indeed a real difference then the 1k stone is quite a bit finer, comparable to the 1.5k shapton pro or 1k chosera. If so it may be the new canonical shapton bevel setter.

I’m not sure what’s going on. Shapton apparently uses different grit distributions in different stones, and on top of that they’re not all the same hardness. They’re very bad about explaining what stones are best for what, and why. The ‘and why’ part is important when you go to buy stones.

The 2k HR and 4K HR are softer and faster than the 3k and 10k HR. The 3k and 10k HR are harder and a part of Shapton’s recommended razor sequence along with the 30k which I do not have.

My first impression is that the Rock Star is harder than the 4k HR, but I do not have a lot of time with it yet, but Shapton implies that it is wear resistant (this means harder).

If this series is what it seems to be, a 10mm thick GS equivalent, wear-resistant, fast stone at ~$45, it will slay the competition. 2-3 years ago I recommended a 10mm thick, 10k Naniwa Super Stone to a friend. He paid $49 for it.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I'm kind of interested in the 2k or 3k version once these become more widely available. Have been thinking for a while about something to slot between the 1.5k Pro and the Naniwa Hayabusa 4k.

 

[SammieM]

Great to hear about this one @Steve56. Not much presence so far online in terms of review.
How is the scratch pattern on this compared to the HR? In other words is it similar to the HC or HR in terms of polishing? Thank you as ever.

 

[JPO]

This guy seems to indicate that these stone are slightly softer then some of the glass stones. Maybe the binder is of similar hardness across all the grits in the series. So, some might be harder then their equivalent glass stone, and some might be softer, like the 1k. Both the 500 gs and the 1000 gs are quite hard.

 

[Steve56]

Great to hear about this one @Steve56. Not much presence so far online in terms of review.
How is the scratch pattern on this compared to the HR? In other words is it similar to the HC or HR in terms of polishing? Thank you as ever.

Hey Sam,

It’s more like the HR series of Glass Stone. I’m guessing slightly softer.

 

[SammieM]

T

Hey Sam,

It’s more like the HR series of Glass Stone. I’m guessing slightly softer.

Thank you Steve! So it won’t be replacing the 8k HC… Perhaps only the 10k HR…

 

[marv]

@SammieM I emailed them a few weeks ago. After a long silence, they responded to the e-mail today. They say it is a softer ( a little bit) alternative to the Hr series.

 

[JPO]

@SammieM I emailed them a few weeks ago. After a long silence, they responded to the e-mail today. They say it is a softer ( a little bit) alternative to the Hr series.

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It is really confusion when they have so many stones, and they are not more specific about the properties of the different stones.
My 1k HR, 3k HR, 8k G7 and 0.85 G7 are quite hard. The 6k HR and the 2k G7 is softer. So, maybe these are just a little softer then the hard stones in the HR series.
They are probably more then hard enough for razors. If you get them from Japan you can get an entire set for less then one of the higher grit premium stones. If they are as good as the glass stones i think they will be hard to beat, especially if you are planning to use a natural stone for the final finish.

 

[Singing in the brain]

I wish they made a Death metal star

 

[ZeelandsRoem]

Steve, if you had the chance to spend more time on this stone, did you notice any differences between the HR 4k and the RS 4k when it comes to cutting speed?