Review on Suehiro Finishing Soaking Stone for Whetstone Sharpening by Andres Imaging

The Suehiro sharpening stone/waterstone family includes several brands. My favorite water stone is Suehiro Debado 1000 Grit, which requires no more than 5 minutes of soaking and is ready to use. When sharpening a Japanese knife or a good German knife (like the Henkel Zwill) I prefer a 1000+ grit. This Ouka with a 3000 grit is perfect for that. The stone stays flat enough for repeated sharpening. Of course, it will buckle over time and will eventually need to be lapped (flattened). But the stone is quite hard, so it behaves well. It also offers good feedback during sharpening. Not too soft, not too hard, not mushy at all. I like the fact that it doesn't build up a metal layer from the resulting chips (removed metal) when sharpened. Some of my other waterstones leave a thin, shiny, metallic layer on the surface of the stone when cut. This layer reduces the effectiveness of the stone until the metal is removed by rubbing against my crotch. This Ouka 3000-35 stone is a bit small, about 7.25" long and about 2.5" wide, but a handy size for most knives. I bought the larger version (approx. 8 x 3 inches) elsewhere online, but I don't see the larger version in Revain. You can use the Ouka 3000-35 on a stone holder or buy the same stone mounted on a holder for about the same price. Look again for SUEHIRO Whetstone Finishing Stone No.3003-S #3000. For those looking to further polish their knives, I recommend Suehiro Rika 5000 grit available from Revain. Rika 5000 is sold either on a pedestal or just mounted on a stone. I personally prefer without a base, but also have an adjustable stone holder.