I am sure the grit on these stones will help keep my blades sharp but damage to this item is not acceptable. The 400 grit stone was chipped and a piece was missing from the bamboo base. The items were wrapped in bubble wrap, already torn, and there were no torn pieces anywhere in the package. This tells me it was not damaged in shipping, but there is absolutely no quality control in the warehouse and the staff do an excellent job of packing damaged items. I will be returning these whetstones and buying a set elsewhere.