If you’re like me it’s really not all that often you find yourself looking for a sharpening stone. The average person as a matter of fact will only purchase a few during their lifetime. Chances are if you’re reading this blog right now you’re doing a little research and trying to decide what stone you should purchase or even where to go about getting one.
If you’re looking to sharpen your kitchen knives or pocket knives every once in a while I would recommend either a 6 to 8 inch Japanese Waterstone or a new ceramic stone. If you’re on a limited budget you can pick up a inexpensive oil stone at just about any hardware or large department store. However, if these are primarily to be used in the kitchen be aware that the oil used could possibly contaminate the knife blade.
A good oil stone is unbeatable for the shop or garage. You can find these and several sizes and shapes to fit your particular requirements.
One thing I want to point out that many people are tempted to purchase those long rodlike sharpeners for their kitchen with out getting a true sharpening stone. What you need to realize is that these rods are not intended to sharpen a blade once they become truly dull. They are used to freshen up the blade by polishing and honing it but once the blade becomes dull you will require a quality sharpening stone.
You can find good knife sharpening rocks at several places online
Amazon.com – these guys have a really large selection of quality sharpeners. The things I have purchased from them have been shipped rather quickly and I’ve never had a problem so far.
EBay – these guys are probably one of the most recognized online companies on the planet. However, since you are buying from individuals it’s rather difficult to truly know what kind of quality to expect. For this reason I don’t recommend purchasing knife sharpening stones from this site.
Hardware stores/department stores – if you’ve done your research and know what particular type of stone you need chances are you may be able to find a decent tool at one of these locations but it may take some searching. Most of these places only carry one brand or one type. So you may have to travel to several locations to find what you’re looking for.
You might also consider a diamond knife sharpener. The drawback to these is the amount of material they remove. They are an aggressive sharpening stone and can shorten the life of your knife, considerably if used too often.
Most electric sharpeners have the same drawback is a diamond sharpener as it is easy to leave the knife in contact with the business end of the sharpener too long and removing too much material.
If you’re looking to sharpen your kitchen knives or pocket knives every once in a while I would recommend either a 6 to 8 inch Japanese Waterstone or a new ceramic stone. If you’re on a limited budget you can pick up a inexpensive oil stone at just about any hardware or large department store. However, if these are primarily to be used in the kitchen be aware that the oil used could possibly contaminate the knife blade.
A good oil stone is unbeatable for the shop or garage. You can find these and several sizes and shapes to fit your particular requirements.
One thing I want to point out that many people are tempted to purchase those long rodlike sharpeners for their kitchen with out getting a true sharpening stone. What you need to realize is that these rods are not intended to sharpen a blade once they become truly dull. They are used to freshen up the blade by polishing and honing it but once the blade becomes dull you will require a quality sharpening stone.
You can find good knife sharpening rocks at several places online
Amazon.com – these guys have a really large selection of quality sharpeners. The things I have purchased from them have been shipped rather quickly and I’ve never had a problem so far.
EBay – these guys are probably one of the most recognized online companies on the planet. However, since you are buying from individuals it’s rather difficult to truly know what kind of quality to expect. For this reason I don’t recommend purchasing knife sharpening stones from this site.
Hardware stores/department stores – if you’ve done your research and know what particular type of stone you need chances are you may be able to find a decent tool at one of these locations but it may take some searching. Most of these places only carry one brand or one type. So you may have to travel to several locations to find what you’re looking for.
You might also consider a diamond knife sharpener. The drawback to these is the amount of material they remove. They are an aggressive sharpening stone and can shorten the life of your knife, considerably if used too often.
Most electric sharpeners have the same drawback is a diamond sharpener as it is easy to leave the knife in contact with the business end of the sharpener too long and removing too much material.