Excellent price for a Global whetstone. This one in particular will be sufficient for typical use, 240grit from blunt, and 1000 grit for finer edge sharpening.
Usually stones like these are ~$100
Good investment for your good cooking knives (i.e. Shuns, Tojiros, Globals, Miyabis, etc)
Guiderails can be found here
i expect a lot of keen cooks and chefs will be stocking up on these
Guiderails can be found here(ebay.com.au)
any difference between those, and the ones that are only a few bucks from other retailers?
and how would these stones differ from other cheaper ones like Taidea on ebay?
(different grit, but just an example)
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-TAIDEA-3000-8000-Grit-Combina…
Cant be for certain, but according some reviewers on amazon it seems that the 8000 grit may not actually be 8000 grit. Thats a risk you take when you buy non-japanese brands or just questionably sourced.
https://www.amazon.com/Combination-Whetstone-Sharpening-Wate…
3000-8000 grit isnt very good for standard use (assuming it really is 3000/8000grit). Youll be stroking for hours to get it sharp.
400-800 for very blunt (gone for years without sharpening?)
1000 for general sharpening (approx a few months of use)
3000 polish edge to mirror finish
Anything above 3000 is generally a waste of time (imo), unless you're a keen sushi chef or you really really like that mirror finish.
Whenever I watched a tutorial they recommend a combination of 1000-2000/6000-8000
1000-3000 is the most any normal person would need. Even pro sushi shops only use big bricks of 2000-3000, and they're known for precise cuts & the sharpness of knives.
I do admire the Japanese culture and the pursuit of perfection. Not only the perfection of practical ideas, but also ideas which go way beyond that. Take it from someone who has spent plenty of time sharpening & finishing blades to the point of being almost OCD: there is a point where diminishing returns diminishes…
Sadly all out according to their eBay website
Progression is the key, start with the low number grits and move up with more steps and less strokes upon each set, to a finer, sharper blades edge.
The key is setting the bevel correctly.
Why is there an 'h' in wet?? Japlish??
nope
whet
verb
1. sharpen the blade of (a tool or weapon).
Lol it's not a "wet" stone
Seems to be a lot of demand on this product to Canberra, ACT. lol