Shapton K0703 Blade Blade, #2000, Medium, Green

I’m completely new both to owning quality knifes and to sharpening them myself, so you can take my review with a grain of salt. Having said that, these whetstones (I bought 3 of them - 1000 / 2000 / 5000) deliver and I am extremely pleased with my purchase. Even though I’m still learning the proper technique and I do get tired of sharpening by making the same precisely angled movement (as precise as I can make it), I found these whetstones very easy to use and of high quality in terms of what I was expecting after watching around 15 YouTube videos in this topic and what I obtained in my experiments. Some YouTubers say these stones may last a lifetime, it does look like so. If I ever feel the need to buy a higher grade (like a 10000, who knows), I’ll definitely look first at this maker.

Let me say that these are not the best stones on the market, but they are certainly up there in quality and dependability. For me, I just don't feel like spending hundreds of dollars to get those stones. For the price and quality, these stones are, by far, the best out there. They are pure Japanese stones and if you know anything about Japanese swords and sharpening them, these are the stones to have. Issue? Once you get one in your inventory, you will quickly realize that the other stones Shapton offers need to be in your collection as well. The grit size is pretty darn close, and you may have to use some caution (also known as technique) to use the "right" stone for what you are attempting to achieve. This particular stone is ceramic and quit forgiving if you are just starting with knife sharpening. As you progress, get better, you will find that these stone will grow with you. The stone comes with a plastic base, and although descent, you may wish to invest in a stone holder, (or if you have more stones a couple of holders) to assist you in getting that desired edge. Generally, if you are not interested in getting hundreds of dollars of sharpening stones, and just want to get into the entry level, then these are the go-to stones. Well made, durable, and with the right stone, can give you that perfect edge. The directions for how to use the stone are in Japanese and it is advisable to get the English translation to make sure you use the instructions correctly. They are, by nature, delicate and fragile (at least the ceramic ones) and are intended to be used by someone familiar with the techniques, processes involved, and knowledge of sharpening. Hand-sharpening knives is an art-form and not for the faint of heart. As quickly as you can put an edge on a knife you can ruin it. But with good technique and practice you can hardly do worse than having high quality stones in your work force. These are those stones.

The stone arrived well packaged, one week earlier than anticipated despite shipping from Japan. It exudes high quality manufacturing; it is easy to use (spray and play) and the results are fantastic. I can't yet comment on its long-term performance, but for now it is definitely a combo (whetstone plus stand/case) worth considering.Kind suggestion in case Amazon people are reading: As I write this review, Shapton stones have 1,582 reviews. The whetstone I received came with instructions in Japanese only, and I wonder how difficult it would be for Amazon USA to include an English version. Either within the listing, or as a PDF, it would definitely help non-Japanese speaking newbies in this type of whetstones. After all it is a tool, and knowing how to use and maintain it is essential.

Worked perfectly

Seems to be slow wearing and is a true splash and go stone.. no soaking needed. Does seem to clog sometimes which reducing the sharpening speed. If I were to do it again I probably would've gotten the 1000 grit. 2000 is more fine than I need for my kitchen and pocket knives. Who knows, the more mild cutting speed is probably more ideal to safely touch up edges without over sharpening.

I've been a woodworker for six decades, have sharpened all kinds of tools with oil stones, diamond stones, fine sandpaper and water stones that need a soak. When I bought my first Japanese kitchen knife I went the Shapton route. All that other stuff is history. One word of caution, you will probably want to eventually get a coarser diamond stone to surface this stone back to flatness. Shapton stones are somewhat more "aggressive" compared to other Japanese stones meaning their 2000 grit is more like a 1000 grit of other makers.

Hubby also said that this is a nice ceramic stone and wanted to place a review after using for the last six months or so.Overall rating he gave 4 (slightly softer at 2000 than expected)Value for money 5 (bought here when it was cheaper, otherwise 4)Easy to use (not rated because it depends on sharpening skills)Pictured is the last knife sharpened a few days ago, just before Thanksgiving: hubby finally came to grips with his late chef father's passing and decided to tackle reprofiling and sharpening of my father-in-law's favorite knife, an eight-inch Henckels from the 80's.After several prior more aggressive stones, hubby finished off with this one and stropping.He's satisfied (I think he will do his father's other knives too!)

Works wonderfully. I don't use it anymore since I got my XARILK GEN 3 though