Ultra Sharp Stones Review: Are They Really Worth It?
Hello, all! Today, I want to talk a bit about these Ultra Sharp Stones that come in at $60 from Amazon. Of course, you get three stones within this particular set, each measuring 2×6 inches. You have a 300, 600, and 1200 grit stone in this set, which I will give a quick overview of and explain why, quite frankly, I’m not too keen on testing these stones in the long run.
Â
300 Grit Stone
The 300 grit stone is very coarse and has a diamond coating, so it’s great for profiling and reshaping blades quickly. It really works with an A2 tool steel that has a 64 HRC hardness rating. This one broke in, getting the job done in less than a minute. This stone is quite efficient when doing heavy-duty work.
600 Grit Stone
There were some real problems in the 600-grit stone. There are large spots on the stone where the plating is raised, easily visible to the naked eye. Those spots scratch on the blade, leaving very noticeable marks along the bevel. These are large clumps of plating and diamonds that interfere with sharpening.
1200 Grit Stone
The 1200 grit stone wasn’t perfect, either. That had huge clumps that were really scratching the finish deep. Even in areas where there weren’t any clumps, still the grit contamination was a problem. This produces variable results and makes it difficult to get a clean, sharp edge.
Overall Thoughts
While able to sharpen a knife, the Ultra Sharp Stones come not without their problems. On the 600 and 1200-grit stones, grit contamination can be quite a big problem, more so when trying to refine the edge. The coarse 300-grit stone works quite all right for heavy profiling, but the contamination on the finer grits ruins sharpening.
For starters, or people on a budget, I would think there are better options than these stones.
Better Alternatives
Sharp B Stones
Well, you simply can’t beat the value of Sharp B stones. For roughly $70, you’re getting a 3 x 8-inch stone with 325 and 1200 grits. I found this stone to have very little grit contamination, and the bigger surface is better for sharpening. The larger size makes it more versatile and user-friendly.
SSC Profiling Stone
Another would be the SSC Profiling Stone, which is about $20 to $22. It really is a very good profiling stone that has a lot of grit contamination, which is okay for this particular application. Pair it with Shopon’s Koraku 1000 grit stone, which costs around $50 to $60. This Koraku stone has very minimal grit contamination and will leave a nice medium-coarse finish on the knives.
Closing Thoughts
Though capable of sharpening knives, a host of issues makes the Ultra Sharp Stones less attractive. Not least among these is the huge amount of grit contamination present on the finer grits. There are much better stones available in this price range—or a little more—that will perform and offer better value. My best advice would be to take a look at the Sharp B stones or matching an SSC Profiling Stone with a Koraku 1000 grit stone for a more effective sharpening setup.
