Japanese King Knife Sharpener Whetstone Grit 220 G-45

I've had this thing for years. My husband LOVES it for keeping his chefs knife sharp. After having for at least 5 years we just had to get a block to even out the surface. Should keep working for years at this rate. Highly recommend.

Awesome hone! I use this to set bevels on my straight razors and to freshen up my kitchen knives. I let mine soak in water for a few hours or until the bubbles stop coming off the stone. The stone can slide around as you hone so i suggest a damp rag on wood to help keep the stone still, you could also use wax,rubber, or a specialized holder but a rag and wood is usually cheapest and most available.I drizzle a few drops of water onto the stone as i sharpen the blade (if the stone soaks up the water it needs more time in the water soaking) as you hone you will get a slurry from the metal you are removing from the blade as well as from the stone. Let this slurry build for a few strokes and then slowly dilute it with a couple drops of water every ten strokes or so. This will act like going through finer progressions of sandpaper and leave a very nice finish on the edge. If you want an even finer edge repeat the process on a higher number stoneThese stones take some time to set up having to dunk them in water and they are not the fastest cutters but for the price or for someone just looking to sharpen their own knives or tools you cant beat these Japanese products ^_^

great stone holds up well and takes metal off well

Excellent wet stone. Fine grain. Use this to get a nice sheen on your knives and finish the sharpening process.Make sure to use clean, filtered water on it.

It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but my main issue with it is that the stone is glued to the plastic holder. This makes the process of waiting for it to dry out longer and I believe it may also raise the potential for mold to grow down in the glued area.

I use to work in the culinary industry and never finished my knives with a 6000-8000 grit (polishing) stone before. Mostly 2000 grit was good enough for me and I would usually run it by the stone every 2 weeks to keep the edge sharp. By no means do I see myself as a expert at sharpening knifes but it was a necessity and I can do it. I purchased this just to see if there was a difference and man is there. With a 2000 grit stone, you can still feel the burrs/slight edges that form from the sharpening process (especially if you didn't take care of your stone and formed a lot of uneven surface). You can see the removal of the burrs/edges after running your knife through this stone just on the first pass. It makes the knife buttery smooth and glide through food. Although I don't work in the restaurant business anymore, this stone has definitely improved the quality of my knifes and how I enjoy prepping meals at home.As for the knives I sharpen, I have Shun/Miyabi knives as my main day-to-day and this works great with it. I also have a very heavy tang, German-steel knife that I mainly use for protein with bones, which works pretty well also but does take a few extra cycle to polish vs. the Japanese steel knives.

I've had this one for going on a decade and am still pleased. Great value.As others reviews have noted, many of poor reviews are written by folks who aren't yet familiar with sharpening or with how stones should be handled. Because of differences in materials and manufacturing, fine grit stones like this don't need to be soaked and if you do give it a quick soak, don't leave it submerged for long or the material will break down more quickly. It's a finishing stone not a "sharpening stone," so it's meant to be used after you've already raised and then polished off a burr using a coarser stone (or two, depending on how much work you need to do). The size is more than enough for 10" and 12" knives. I use it on a bunch of knives of European manufacture after sharpening with a 1000-grit stone, and am always pleased with my edge.

An amazing finishing stone! If you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a natural stone or high end whetstone, Kings are the best bang for your buck.In my opinion, many of these lower ratings seem to be for the wrong reasons.It is slightly smaller than the 1000/6000 combo version but by no means too small to get the job done.Some have stated that this doesn't sharpen their knives, but finishing stones are not used for that purpose. You use a finishing stone (4000 & up) to refine the edge you've already set from your medium stone (1000 to 3000).Then there's the lack of durability. Whetstones in general are always prone to cracking, but there are ways to prevent that. Mainly, soak only as long as you need to. Medium grit stones should need no more than 30 minutes before you begin using them. Finishing stones should never be soaked. Soaking the finer grits will definitely weaken the integrity within a few uses. You only need to splash it with water prior to use and adding little as you continue to maintain a slurry. I like to keep a small spray bottle handy and use that when I need more moisture. Also as soon as you are finished, pat down your stones with a rag and allow them to air dry the rest of the way before storing.If they happen to arrive split from mishandling during delivery then request a new one. Don't slander the manufacturers for the negligence of those doing the delivering. Small chips off the corner are not a big deal and won't cause any problems. I've had no issues with replacing the ones that arrived with big cracks or completely shattered.