This stone is great if you have some pretty major repairs to do. Quickly remove a lot of material from you knife and easily create a new edge that you will refine with the use of some finer grit stones.
The traditional line from Naniwa is on the softer side and tends to be a little more forgiving if you make a mistake than the Professional line. The traditional line easily develops a “slurry†which is great, but wears down quickly and is more susceptible to developing ruts.
All of the whetstones sold at the shop are Waterstones, do not put oil on any of them, you will ruin your stone. Holding the knife at a consistent angle while sharpening is one of, if not, the most important thing to consider when sharpening; thus, maintaining a flat stone is of equal importance. Pick up a truing stone to maintain a flat stone in order to achieve the best results.
If your stones are super worn out and completely concave using a truing stone will take hours to flatten them. Consider purchasing a King flattening stone to get the job done quicker.
