I was a bit intimidated at first as I had never used a whetstone before but after watching a few videos and trying it a few times I got the hang of it Out. At first I used a corner guide, but then I found that it was more of a hindrance than a help. My knives were in dire need of a good sharpening, they were pretty dull and these stones made them sharp again. From what I've read and studied it seems that you don't need all of the bricks that come with this set (I only used 400 and 1000 on my first try) but for the price of this set did it make sense take all the stones. stones.