Hello for the second time today TCK! 

I just posted my NKD + SOTC for project knives. Next, this is my SOTC of sharpening gear I’ll be using and a NSD post for my new Shapton Rockstar 320. 

First, here is my whole collection of kitchen knife sharpening gear listen from left to right with a little blurb on what I use everything for. 

Top row:

Shapton Rockstar 320 - thinning; evening bevels; repair work

Shapton Rockstar 500 - starter stone on most sharpening progressions

Shapton Kuromaku 1000 - favorite stone for a simple and functional edge

Shapton Rockstar 3000 - stepping stone (pun intended) to natural stones

Shapton Rockstar 6000 - mostly for single bevels (deburring; uraoshi)

Bottom row:

Carbon Knife Co. leather/suede strop - final deburring tool

Maruoyama Tomae Ikimurasaki Japanese Natural Stone (fine grit; level 3 hardness) - final polishing stone; final edge stone for my yanagi 

Random soft finger stones - fun gift from a friend to play with when polishing 

Atoma 140 Diamond Plate flattening stone - if you’re going to upgrade anything, get this for flattening stones; thank me later

Spring loaded stone holder - fits all my synthetic *and* natural stones

Morihei Aizu F3 Japanese Natural Stone (medium grit; level 3.5 hardness) - my favorite stone for the final edge on virtually every kitchen knife

When it comes to Japanese natural stones, my Aizu is epic. It has office become my favorite stone because the final edge it gives is refined and toothy at the same time and doesn’t require much work. It’s simple, but ultra effective. I haven’t used the Maruoyama yet, but that’ll happen soon when my usuba/yanagi head to the stones for the first time. I’ve heard it’s a hell of a polisher and it should be a great finishing stone for the edge on my yanagi. There is one more natural stone I want too, but more on that later. 

When I look at which synthetic stones are my favorite, which I regret, and what I might want in the future, I think I’m getting a pretty good grasp. 

First, my favorites. I really love the Shapton Kuromaku 1000. It’s the perfect softness for great sharpening feel, but it’s hard enough to quickly move steel. I always end up with a great edge off this stone. Honorable mention to the Shapton Rockstar 500 too. Whenever the Kuromaku 100 needs some help, the Rockstar 500 is the perfect stone. 

The only stone I really regret is the Rockstar 3000. For the life of me, I cannot get an edge I like off of it. It’s always in this weird point between lacking that toothiness, but also not being fine enough of an edge to justify it. At this point, it’s simply a stepping stone to my Aizu when I put on a final edge for most my knives. This 3000 stone is where I’ll be looking to upgrade in the future. 

Here are some future additions I’m considering ranked by what I want most:

1. Natural stone for deba and honesuki (coarse grit; level 3 hardness)

2. Naniwa Chosera (?) 3000 - the soft pink stone to replace my Rockstar 3000

3. Maybe an even lower grit diamond stone for repair work and thinning

Overall, I’m having a blast learning the nuances of sharpening and I’m excited to dive in deeper. I have more than enough gear for now to really play around and figure out the best edge for me.

I’ll keep this sub in the loop as I play around and try new things. But until then, I’ll see you next time TCK 🫡

NSD + SOT(stones)C: Shapton Rockstar 320 & the rest of my sharpening gear