The 1x4 Jende 1K Speckled stone has a medium/medium hard matrix which releases its abrasive in a very satisfying way - giving it very good aggressive feeling while leaving a nice matte finish. It is a keystone grit used for initial maintenance and light repairs on your edges, as well as for lighter profiling. It leaves a standard and functional work sharp edge that is acceptable for almost any knife or tool. This stone also cleans up deeper factory scratches, makes transitioning from diamond plates and stones easier and cleaner, and is a good foundation stone before progressing to finer grits. 

This stone is 1" x 4" in size mounted to an aluminum blank with a total thickness of 5-6mm and used with water only. It works best when soaked in water for a minute or two before use. Let air dry and store dry when not in use.

Abrasive: Aluminum Oxide

Ideal place in a sharpening progression:

• Starting grit for following a factory angle edge and for lighter profiling.
• Starting grit for light repair and maintenance of an already sharpened but dull edge.
• After any diamond grit plate or stone to remove the deeper diamond scratches.
• After lower grit sharpening stones (120, 220, 320, 400, 600, 800 grit)
• After coarse belt grinder grits (60, 80, 100, 120, 220 grit)
• Before progressing to a finer and/or upper medium grit stone (1,200 - 6K grit)
• A final stone for basic sharpness on many knives and tools.

The Jende 1K Speckled sharpening stone works on almost all types of knives, scissors, tools and chisels, including those made with abrasion resistant steels. While the 1x4 size is meant for use with the KME Sharpener, it is also a great size for a slip stone, field stone or a pocket stone for knife repairs and sharpening on the go, or to remove unwanted burrs. 

This is a waterstone, and is be used with water only, but can be used in conjunction with oil stones (such as Norton India and other carborundum and Arkansas stones) if the blade is wiped clean before and after switching stone types. They can also be used in a mix and match progression with other synthetic and natural sharpening stones, as well with other brands such as Naniwa, Shapton, Sigma, Suehiro, Imanishi, Spyderco, King, etc.

On More Traditional Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel Edges, the 1K Speckled stone works on steels between RC 52 and RC 65 on the Rockwell C Hardness scale. On softer end steels such as X50CrMoV15, AUS6, 440B, and most stainless steels used by many kitchen knife makers like Henckels, Wüsthof, Gunter Wilhelm, F Dick, Victorinox, etc., this stone easily maintains and sharpens, leaving a respectable working edge, especially for kitchen use.

On the higher end of the hardness spectrum of traditional steel edges made with steels like 1095, 52100, 440C, Aogami White, Shirogami Blue, O1, W1, etc. The Speckled 1K removes surface rust, reestablishes the bevel and edges and leaves a working sharp edge that is ready for use or more refinement.

On Carbide Forming Steel and More Abrasion Resistant Steel Edges such as VG-10, D2, M2, S35V, S90V, etc., The Jende 1K Speckled stone still removes matrix steel and carbides while removing and cleaning up coarser stone, diamond plate or belt sander scratches. The 1K edge on these steels is aggressive, yet refined enough to be used as is, or to be further refined with stropping or finer grits stones.

Hacks and Tips:

• For a more aggressive stone, create a slurry by rubbing the stone’s surface with a coarse or extra coarse diamond plate and some water. The slurry will be milky white.
• Use a moderate amount of water when sharpening with this stone to avoid the black swarf from turning into a thick paste. A cleaner surface will cut faster than a thicker pasted one.
• If using this stone as a final grit, keep the black swarf viscous and it will produce a slightly more refined edge.
• Lap this stone with a coarse or extra coarse diamond plate, silicon carbide (SiC) powder, or low grit wet dry sand paper to keep it consistently flat and clean.

Comparable Stones: Jende 1K SF, Naniwa Chosera 1K, Shapton 1K, Sigma Select II 1K, Suehiro 1K Cerax

Alternative Mid Level Stones: Naniwa 1K Goken Pro

Alternative Economic Level Stones: King 1K, Naniwa 1K Chocolate Bar, Sigma 1K Oribest, Sigma Ceramic 1K Hard, Sigma 1K Soft, Suehiro 1K R