If you are just starting out in freehand knife sharpening and would like to begin on the right foot, this will be the place. A lot of beginners often wonder what items to buy first to achieve the best results, and we will break it all down in this article—the most important tools you need to get started based on experience and recommendations.
Probably the most critical stone in any sharpening system is a good coarse grit profiling stone. This stone will lay down a preliminary bevel on your knife and remove large damage and gross dullness.
Recommended Stone:
Profiling—the reason diamond stones are highly recommended for their fast material removal and capability to remain flat over some time. Options, the SSC 400/1000 Grit Diamond Stone, are available on Amazon for about $20. It is made in China, yet this stone is one of the best based on performance and cost.
Alternatively, if you want something made in the U.S., a good choice is the DMT Extra Coarse Diamond Stone. This $50 stone comes with a little coarser grit and faster removal of materials than that of the SSC stone.
These stones will be effective at profiling and setting your knife’s bevel, paving the way for further sharpening.
The Must-Have Diamond Strop
After you’ve established your bevel with your coarse grit stone, you’re going to need to refine the edge with a strop. A diamond strop is very useful in sharpening an edge and giving results that are razor-sharp.
Recommended Strop:
For a starting point, a six Micron Diamond Strop is the best. It’s a versatile tool, working with most steels and giving a fine edge. You can either make your own or buy one; however, it is easy and inexpensive to make a strop. If you are going to buy one, ensure you get diamond compound in the six, eight, or ten Micron range. This combination will improve your knife sharpness many fold.
Intermediate Stones to Progress Further:
Provided one is well conversant with profiling and basic honing, a person might then be looking at increasing the toolset by adding intermediate stones.
Recommended Stones (For high-end super steels)
For high-end super steels, though, like S110V or CPM M4, the best will be a DMT Fine Diamond Stone. With a price tag of about $50, it’s good at really polishing the edge on hard steels. For general use, quite excellent and of great, all-around service is the Shapton Glass Stone 1000; it works very well with medium to high-end steels.
If available, the Shapton Kaku 1000 is also very highly recommended. It’s known to be very durable and good at getting a fine edge.
Luxury Stones for the Enthusiast
If you’re looking to really get into sharpening your knives, finely tune that bevel, and get that edge to a mirror polish, then consider these higher grit stones.
Recommended Stones (For very fine polishing)
For very fine polishing, the best ones are the Shapton Glass Stone 2000 and the Shapton Glass Stone 5000. The 2000 shows a good step up from the 1000, making for a well-balanced edge without it being too fine. The 5000 gives a mirror finish; in that respect, it is best to use it after the 2000 to minimize excessive time taken in polishing.
Worth noting, too, with high-end steels, is the Nanoa 1000 Grit Resin Bonded Diamond Stone. It’s a very premium option that really refines an edge well.
Recap: Beginner Starting Kit
To sum it up, if you are just starting out make sure to have the following in your kit:
- 400 Grit Coarse Diamond Stone for profiling
- Six Micron Diamond Strop for edge refinement
- 1000 Grit Shapton Kaku or DMT Fine stone for additional honing.
- Once you have these basics dialed in and you’re getting hair-popping sharp, then you can move to higher grit stones. This will keep you from spending money on tools you don’t need and will really help you learn how to sharpen.
Thanks for reading! I hope this helps you guys get your sharpening kit dialed in. For detailed videos on each step and links to the products mentioned in the video, scroll down in the description below. Happy sharpening!
