Arashiyama whetstone, # 1000

Arashiyama 1000 stone is an easy to use and affordable medium grain stone that can cut a wide variety of steels. It is a fast cutting stone that gives good feedback and can be used as your last stone for kitchen knives if you like a nice, jagged edge. If you like a more polished finish, we recommend finishing with our # 4000 or # 8000 Bester stones.

The number of grains in a sharpening stone is determined by the number of particles in an area of ​​2.5 cm x 2.5 cm. The lower the number of grains, the coarser the stone and vice versa, the smaller the particles, the higher the number.

The # 80- # 320 grain stones ( Ara-to , "coarse") are mainly used to repair shards or to correct geometric distortions. They are rarely used at home. The # 400- # 2000 grain stones are Naka-to (medium stones). Most people in the home want to use a medium stone for sharpening. Stones over 3000 grains are finishing stones ( Shiage-to ). They are used to polish the surface of the rim in order to prolong its cutting performance.

Recommended stones to get started are Naka-to and Shiage -to . For regular sharpening in order to keep as much of its edge as possible, a finishing stone ( Shiage-to ) is recommended. With a finishing stone it is harder to break the rim or damage the blade. They can therefore be used by beginners in sharpening. We therefore recommend Ara-to for the experienced.

For sharpening it is important to start with the medium stones and finish with the finishing stones.