If your knives are getting old and dull due to regular usage, then you have to sharpen them. For this, you need a good knife sharpener to sharpen these dull knives. There are many different types of knife sharpeners available in the market right now but in this post we are going to discuss best sharpening stones, because these sharpening stones are used to sharpen knives since old times.

Blunt and dull knives are not only frustrating to use but are dangerous too. You may get yourself injured while using a dull knife.

So you need a best sharpening stone to keep your knives sharp.

There are different types of sharpening stones in the market, some require any sort of lubricant (oil or water) before usage and some don’t require any lubricant.

Some sharpening stones are especially designed to give a finishing touch to your knife, while others are designed to give your dull blade a starting edge.

Best Sharpening Stones Of 2020

1. Sharp Pebble Premium Whetstone

Great product, you do indeed get the two sided stone, rubber base to hold it steady, widen base for that to slot into which in turn has a rubber underside for stability. Then of course the knife guard/guide and link to the digital book on how to use it. Works like a charm.

Excellent sharpening stone! Forget the electric sharpeners or taking your knives to a sharpening service, this is the way!

This sharpening stone does take a little bit of time but that’s why you spent so much money on your excellent knives! Don’t just let them dull with time, this stone will make them as sharp as the day you bought them.

It has rougher and finer surfaces and a very nice solid base to keep the stone in place while you’re sharpening your knife.The wooden base is made of bamboo which has been treated and sealed – very important when it’s going to get wet. The base also has a full rubber grip surface.

The angle guide that is included makes sharpening knives to a razor edge really easy. A little practice is needed but the ‘Sharp Pebble’ is a great way to sharpen your knives and once sharpened a quick rub on the white ‘honing’ side now and again keeps the edge really sharp.

Pros

• Double-Sided
• Easy to Assemble
• Premium Quality
• Suitable for All Types of Blade

Cons

• The Non-Slip Rubber Under The Holding Block Does Not Work Too Great.

2. KING KW65 1000/6000 Grit Whetstone

Waterstones are a necessity if you really want to sharpen your stones to a razor sharp edge.

This is a really good stone for the price. You don’t need to spend $100 plus dollars on a high end stone to get a sharp knife.

This is a whetstone so you should use some water when you sharpen your blade.

At 6000 grit, you’re honing and fine tuning and at 1000 grit, you’re removing a bit of material.

The 1000 grit soaking side is easy to use. Just soak the dark half for 3 mins or so. This side gives feedback and seems pretty resilient to novice hands.

The 6000 grit is side splash and go. Just add water every few passes. It gives a nice polished edge for sure but this side takes a bit more skill to master. Holding the angle is a bit more important or else you get some gouges in the stone, so go slow and try to get the feel and don’t go for speed.

Perfect for anyone from beginner to expert. High quality stone and the perfect mix of grits to make a razor edge and light polish shine. The stand holds the stone well and doesn’t move around. It comes in a plastic box that’s all in Japanese so just hop on YouTube and watch a couple videos on using the whetstone and sharpening if you’re unsure. Doesn’t take long to get the hang of it.

Most important is to take your time, an 8 inch German steel blade should be about 15 minutes of sharpening where 8 inch carbon steel would be 5 minutes.

Pros

• Two Stones In One
• Premium Quality
• Low Price

Cons

• It Feels Like Clay And Gets Muddy Very Quickly If You’re Applying A Lot Of Pressure

3. BearMoo Premium 2-IN-1 Whetstone

This is a good whetstone and is excellent for those starting to get into sharpening knives. The price point is great and produces a razor sharp edge. If you are just getting started, make sure that you first get a coarse grit stone for creating an edge and this higher grit stone to refine the edge and make it razor sharp. Stones of this quality are great for beginners and intermediates.

After about 40 passes, you will need to wet the stone again to make sure the blade isn’t dragging too hard.

Silicone bases are a great addition to help stability while sharpening. 

It makes sharp knives sharper. This is pretty nice for the money. Very fine grit really hones knives to pretty much razor sharp.

Easy to handle, though when the surface it sits on is itself wet, it’s best to place the stone, with its rubber foot, onto a terry cloth towel for best traction.

This is the only type of knife sharpener to truly give your knife a perfect sharp edge. It takes some practice to get your angle consistent but ends up with the best edge ever. It takes some time to get all your knives honed in at your natural angle but then keeping them at that angle and very sharp takes no time at all.

Pros

• Perfect for Kitchen Knives
• Excellent for Beginners

Cons

• Comes With The Silicone Padding
• Too Soft

4. Chefic 2-IN-1 Premium Whetstone

The Chefic Whetstone 2 in 1 Premium Sharpening Stone is one of the larger models of bench stone available. Good size stone for gliding the knife edge over.

The dual sided construction is perfect for extremely fine and sharp honing. As a water stone, the rubber base is perfect for the soak and staying put on the workbench.

The 400 side is coarse enough to get even the worst kitchen knife in shape quickly when they’re beyond a quick honing. The 1000 side is generally enough to get a fine edge on the knives for a nice, smooth cut.

In addition to this stone you’ll need two things to use it properly: Patience and a steady hand. If you’re a beginner, practice on knives you don’t care too much about before trying to put an edge on your heirloom stuff. Note that you can do too much damage unless you mess up spectacularly, but so you get a feel for it and can put the best possible edge on your good knives on the first try.

Highly recommend these stones to anyone looking to get a dangerously sharp edge on their tools.

Pros

• Dual-Sided
• Non-Slip Silicone Mat
• Suitable for Most Blade Types

Cons

• The Stone Is Not Wide Enough

5.Whetstone Cutlery 400/1000 Grit Stone

It’s a perfectly flat, large, straight knife sharpening stone that produces excellent results with a relatively coarse side and a fine side for honing the edge.

This is a good entry level whetstone, great to practice on, it works well. The 400/1000 grits seem to be correct. The 400 grit is only if the blades are in bad shape, chips, etc. Using the 1000 grit then stropping after is enough to get you to shaving hair.

Swipe your kitchen knife across this 4 or 5 times at regular intervals. You will be rewarded with a smooth, sharp cutting edge that works well.

Works like a charm, once you get the hang of it. You need to hold the blade at the right angle and drag it over the stone in just the right way. Otherwise you could be working against yourself.

Great stone for the price. The combo 400/1000 grit is all you need for the home kitchen and will give any knife it’s sharp edge back. Ensure you soak it for at least 15 minutes before using. 

This coarse grit whetstone is great for prepping old and dull knives that need to be sharpened with a fine grit stone.

Pros

• It Has Good Abrasiveness
• Very Accurate Grit Rating
• Price is Unbeatable

Cons

• Too Soft for Beginners

6. Smith’s Diamond Combo Stone

This sharpener utilized Smith’s interrupted diamond surface that also incorporates a small area of continuous diamond for sharpening pointed tools as well as a groove for sharpening fish hooks. 

The yellow Coarse side is 325 grit, and the orange Fine side is 750 grit. The diamond portion of the sharpener pulls out of the handle and can be flipped around to stow nice and neatly in the handle when not in use.

The sheath makes a very secure handle which protects your hand from the knife edge when pushing into the blade.

This light and portable tool is perfect for taking along on a job in the back yard or to the kitchen for a quick do-over of the knife.

The handle of this sharpener features rubber areas for increased traction to aid in keeping a secure grip while sharpening with wet hands. The bottom of the handle also features some drainage ports to allow any water to escape if the sharpener were to be submerged in water. We still however recommend to always dry the diamond surface of the sharpener before storing it.

Easy and intuitive to use, delivers a fine edge quickly and stays clean. Perfect for every sharpening job.

It is more than capable of putting a nice serviceable edge on any blade.

The combination of the two grits, groove for tip sharpening, color coding, plastic/rubber construction, locking sheath, etc make this a very convenient, portable and durable sharpening tool. 

Read the instructions carefully on how to use this correctly as it is different from other type sharpeners.

Pros

• Easy and Intuitive to Use.
• Soft Grip Rubber Handle
• Thumb Guard

Cons

• It Will Not Lay Flat On the Table

7. DMT WM8EF-WB 8-Inch DuoSharp Bench Stone

This is the best in class, easy to use sharpening product.

One side is red and one is green. The red takes a dull blade and hones it first. Maybe 5 to 6 passes per side. Then you move to the green to take the sharpening to a new level with 3-5 passes per side. Almost like new. A dull knife takes maybe 3 minutes to sharpen. And the sharp knife, using only the green side, takes about a minute.

Unless your blades are damaged or you want to reset the angle of a bevel on your plane iron, this is probably the only sharpening tool you’ll need.

While some might find that price to be high, keep in mind that you’re getting a large 3″ x 8″ double-sided diamond sharpener.

Unlike natural stones, the polymer base also won’t deform. It stays perfectly flat over time. And the sharpening goes much faster. 10 swipes on this stone is roughly equivalent to about 50 swipes on any cheap stone. Not only do you save time and energy, but it’s much easier to maintain a very consistent blade angle for 10 strokes than it is for 50.

This stone is large enough to accommodate even your biggest kitchen knives in one pass of the blade. A few (maybe 10-15 on each side, alternating 5 at a time) passes are sufficient to restore a paper cutting edge on your knives. This does make it more bulky for actually taking camping, but for the right tool at the right time, this can’t be beat.

The DMT DuoSharp is very, very quick–no mess, easy to use.

Don’t try to use this with a serrated blade, it won’t work, otherwise, it’s good for most normal blade lengths.

Another important feature is the fact that the system requires no maintenance and can even be used dry.

This sharpening system is definitely worth the price. Highly recommended.

Pros

• Excellent And Versatile Low
• Low Maintenance Sharpening Stone
• Large Size Stone
• No Lubricant Required
• High Versatile: Can Be Used For Kitchen Knives or Other Tools.

Cons

• Little Costly

8. Naniwa Chosera 800 Grit Stone

This is one of the best 800 grit stones for most kitchen knives out there. It gives good results and you can use it both as a starting and finishing stone.

This stone is great for restoring the edge on old hand plane irons, it’s a great grit is used to flatten them back down without having to take off more iron than is needed.

Of course, if you need to repair a knife or have a very dull knife, you should buy a coarser stone like the Chosera 400 and again if you need a razor sharp knife for the kitchen or outdoors, your next good choice would be to buy the Chosera 3000.

It takes very little water on the stone to start your sharpening. When you are finished, just clean it with water and shake to get rid of any water that may have gone between the stone and the plastic holder which is attached to the stone or vice versa. Then let it dry at room temperature.

If you are looking for one of the best waterstones in the 1000 grit range, and money is no object, then look no further.

This Chosera does everything well – whether kitchen or pocket knives, chisels or plane irons, etc. The hardness is just right, and the feedback is perfect. It cuts fast and the edge is clean.

If you have the budget and don’t mind spending more for that little extra bit of quality, this is a great stone. 

Pros

• Cutting Speed Is Just Great
• Feelings And Feedback Are Very Nice
• Real Splash And Go. Just Splash Some Water And You Are Ready To Go
• Very Slow Wearing. Will Last For Many Many Years
• Plastic Base Provides Hand Clearance And Non-Slip Base.
• Comes With High-Quality Nagura Stone.

Cons

• Not a Single Complaint

9. Shapton Stone Traditional Homogeneous  Waterstone

Very good stone as you would expect it from Shapton. The Shapton Kuromaku 1000 is a nice intermediate stone for removing deep gouges from diamond plates or any of the coarse (100-300) stones. It seems to build some kind of swarf up in the slurry from the metal in addition to some of the abrasive but it is a hard wearing stone.

If you have knives made of decent carbon steel then this is the most useful grit to use around the home.

It is a good lower grit stone. The scratches it creates are even and not too deep. You can switch to 1000 grit from this one easily and you won’t have a problem.

As it is low grit you can expect it to wear quite quickly. You will notice the wear after 10-15 uses but once you flatten it with a diamond plate, you are good to go again.

It’ll easily re profile blade angles but with more effort and time than a coarse stone.

The plastic box that comes with them is ideal for storage, unlike a cardboard box, which tends to get moldy from residual water in the stones.

The color coding makes it very easy to figure out what stone you have, even after markings wear off. That is just plain genius right there.

This is a fairly dense stone and does not seem to shed much. The stone is very easy to use, no soaking required. Just splash with water and start working. Very convenient to not have to soak and wait.

Pros

• Feelings And Feedback Are Very Nice
• Very Slow Wearing. Will Last For Many Many Years
• Plastic Base Provides Hand Clearance And Non-Slip Base

Cons

• Not a Single Complaint

10. Whetstone Sharpening Stone 1000/4000 Grit

Perfect stone size and sits firm on kitchen counter top, all lengths and sizes can be sharpened with no issues.

The 1000 grit side is a bit soft so it creates quite a bit of grime while sharpening, but the 4000 grit surface is pretty smooth. The end result after a sharpening session is quite nice and pretty much what you would expect out of a sharpening stone at this value. This beats those cheap grocery store sharpening stones by a long shot.

The 1000 grit is aggressive enough to sharpen very dull and neglected knives but fine enough to produce a very sharp edge. The 4000 grit produces a razor sharp edge after the 1000.

The removable rubber base was helpful when switching from one side to the next, and it kept the stone from sliding around. 

The instructions say that the stone can work with either water or oil, but that water is preferred. It said to leave the stone soaking in water for five minutes, and the stone worked like a champ.

If you have expensive knives then this is a great investment. 

You need to dry this product overnight in order for it to fully dry before storing it away. This combination is the perfect grit size to sharpen knives that are dull, but not damaged. The 4000 grit is excellent for that final polish.

Pros

• 1000/4000 Grindstone Is Suitable For Most Grinding Operations
• High-Grade Whetstone Ensures Effective Sharpening Results

Cons

• Too Much Thirsty Stone

Sharpening Stone Buying Guide

Types Of sharpening Stones

There are different types of sharpening stones available and let’s discuss these.

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1. Water Stone/Whetstone

These are the most common type of sharpening stones which are also known as whetstones. Many professionals recommend these sharpening stones because these are very easy to use and also come in different grits and sizes. They only require water as a lubricant, that’s why they are also called whetstones. You just need to soak it into the water for 10 minutes and it is ready to use.

Some stones just need to be rubbed with a little water before use.

Other than the Japanese water sharpening stones, these are very cheap in price,

They are very quick and require very little maintenance but are slower than the diamond stones.

2. Oil Stone

Oil stones are also another great way to super sharpen your knives and other tools. These are traditionally western sharpening stones.

Oil is used as a lubricant and these types of sharpening stones come with fine, medium and coarse grit to give your knife finishing and polishing edge.

Oil stones are made from Novaculite, Silicon Carbide, and Aluminum Oxide.

This is a long lasting sharpening stone because Aluminium Oxide is a very hard material. 

So you can use oil stone much longer than a waterstone/whetstone.

3. Ceramic Stone

This is another type of knife sharpening stone but these types of stones require a very high level of care and maintenance. Because they are very hard and easily breakable.

Ceramic stones are good for giving your knife a polishing edge, these are not meant for the knives that are very dull.

These stones don’t require any type of oil or water before usage. These are best for ceramic knives or the knives that have a very thin and flexible blade like the fish fillet knives.

4. Diamond Stone

If you have a good budget then we highly recommend you to go for a diamond stone for your knife. There are some reasons why diamond stones are more expensive than others. Because it has a very special diamond nano-coating technology.

These are the fastest growing type of sharpening stone because these stones can sharpen your knife very quickly and require a little maintenance.

Due to these qualities, diamond stones are a favorite choice of many professional chefs and also for outdoor persons.

Grit, Base and Angle Guides

Grit Range

The secret of a whetstone’s success lies in its grit. The grit is what makes your blade sharp by ripping off the metal on the blade while it is applied to the grit’s surface to produce a new razor sharp edge.

Grit ranges from 240 to 8000. When it comes to the grit range, the higher the number, the finer the grit. 

• Coarse grit: 200-800

• Medium grit: 800-1500

• Fine grit: higher than 1500

Grit Usage

• 320 – Amazing for repairing nicks and setting your edge. Great feel.

• 1000 – Where all the sharpening happens. 

• 5000 – its great finishing, many  stop here for most knives that are less than 60 HRC

• 12000 – Amazing polish on harder knives. Gives a razor edge on HRC 60+. Gives a true mirror finish.

Base

A good base will help to stop stone from sliding on the surface as you sharpen your knife. Most bases are rubber silicone, plastic, bamboo or hardwood. A rubber silicone base will ensure the stability of the stone. Plastic can be used around water, but bamboo and hardwood bases look beautiful but may not last very long if they get wet.

Angle guide

If you don’t have enough experience in sharpening, an angle guide helps to support and hold the knife’s blade at the right angle for effective sharpening, which can also help to prevent an accident.