What stone is next

[dfoulk]

Hello

I don't have a straight razor, but the way this is going for me I do anticipate purchasing one in the next several months. I do however have some Japanese Kitchen knives and some shaprening stones to sharpen them with.

Stones I currently have were purchased from CKTG:
Latte 400 Grit Stone
Nubatama Ume 1000 Grit Stone
Suehiro Rika 5000 Grit Stone

I'm looking for the next stone in the progression for knife shapening while also finding something that would be great to sharpen a straight down the road. When I was considering this for knives i thought I'd get a Snow White 8K and that would be it for the knives.

With a straight however I might want to go to an even higher grit stone. So do I go right to a 10K from the 5K or should I go for an 8K, or a different stone all together.

Are any of the stones I currently have any good for straights. When I bought them I had no idea that I'd even be considering a straight.

How big of a jump can I go from the 5K that I already have?
What Grit do I need to go up to in order to get a nice comfortable shave. I know you can shave off of an 8K but is it all that comfortable.

Please share your opinions about any particular stones that you might suggest (what you like and don't like about them).

I'm not interested in going the lapping film route and I'm thinking synthetic stones at this point.
Maybe a JNAT down the road.

Sorry so many questions. If you have a moment to spare please share your thoughts. I do appreciate it.

Thank you!

 

[Gamma]

You'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between a razor honed (correctly) on a Snow White and a 10k SS/Chosera.

12k SS will add a higher polish, and a slight advantage to the edge. When I say slight, I really mean slight.
IMO - the Snow White is not just another 8k workhorse. Check Naniwa's sell sheet - it's listed as a 'finishing stone' and it's the only 8k with that credential.
Hype? Maybe. In practical use though - I'm really impressed with it.
That's just me though - only way to figure it out for you is to get one and try it.

Lots of people jump 5k - 12k and it's certainly doable, but I'd want something else between them.

Only you can decide for you what the highest 'grit' you'll need to finish is.
There are a ton of variables here - most of which cannot be qualified numerically.
I'd start with an 8k to see what that does.
There are plenty of people that 'need' or 'want' more than an 8k edge.
I'm one of them. But I can shave off the Snow White - not well ATG though. To me - that is still a 'fail'.
I need a bit more to get that pass done without grief.
Just being able to cut whiskers isn't enough, I judge the edge by how well I get all 3 passes done and then how close it is.

 

[jrp316]

+1 for the 8k. From there, I'd recommend something in the 10k-12k+ range as a final finisher. You can get good shaves off of 8k, but you may find you like to finish up on a higher grit like me.

 

[jpcwon]

I love my Snow White 8k...I also have a Suehiro Rika 5k and can go from the 5k to the Snow White 8k and finish on that if I want to (have done it a few times). Like Gamma said, you can finish on the Snow white and get an good shave; it's a very capable stone that's well worth the money IMHO....

I will often go beyond the 8k though (SS 12k, JNAT, 20k, whatever...), but you could definitely stop there if you wanted to...I do believe that more refinement is possible though, so you may choose to take it a step further yourself...

 

[dfoulk]

Thank you. That helps me a lot my choice of the Snow White.

If you don't mind I do have another question now.

What specific stones do you all like after the Snow White?

This will prob be the last stone in my progression.

Thanks again,

 

[dfoulk]

Sorry, in addition to the above question about after the 8K. What specific stones do you use in between the 5K and the 8K.

Sorry for all of the questions.

Thanks again,

 

[Gamma]

Nothing between those two.

 

[dfoulk]

If you were on the Chefknivestogo web page here:
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/higrst3.html
and you had the 5K stone already. What 2 stones do you pick to sharpen with.
Do you go with the Snow White and something else, or some completely different combination
Being reasonable, as I don't want to purchase any $300 stones at this time.

Please take a look and share your thoughts if you have a moment. I do appreciate it.

Thank you,

 

[Gamma]

8k Jyunkpaku - Snow White.

If you still want more refinement;
12k Naniwa SS 2cm (no base).

 

[dfoulk]

Thank you. I appreciate your advice, it is exactly what I was looking for.