ShaptonGlass Stone HR Hard Bond Grit 16,000*

I hate that this this is OUTSTANDING! Like many of you, I've tried everything to save money on sharpening equipment. I've gone through rolls of adhesive sandpaper, purchased an array of water stones, and have become quite good with a strop.Well, that's all fine and good, but my edges weren't the super duper fine ones that make hand planes and chisels REALLY RUN. So, I ponyed up. I bought some good diamond stones. Now we are talking (Although, anything over 1000 grit uses a different binder that reduces the effectiveness of diamonds, so stick with 1000 and under on those). I was getting very good edges with my diamond stones and a strop. Inevitably, I started seeing the ever so slightly rounded edges on my chisels. It's the kiss of death on chisel tracking. So, back to the search.I saw Mr. Cosman's 32 second routine. Could it be that simple? He uses diamond stones to shape and hone, then finishes with the Shapton 16000. Man, I've already spent a bunch of money on sharpening stuff that was substandard. Over $120? Wow, I can't afford that, or so I thought. I looked all over Amazon and found what I thought to be a generic copy. I had one of the generic versions delivered, only to find that it is absolutely junk. It's so soft that I could gouge a groove down the center of it all the way to the backing glass with just a few passes.OK Shapton, I capitulate. Send me your $120 sharpening stone. It had better be good, I said to myself. Well, this thing absolutely blows me away. In a matter of a few seconds, I can take a mostly finished blade to insanely, incredibly, amazingly sharp. It polishes the edges perfectly, it's extremely hard and should last for many years, and is singly the best thing I've ever purchased to sharpen tools. I love it, and I hate that I love it, because I really didn't have $120 to spend on a piece of sharpening stone.But, it is so worth it. I couldn't be happier. I said to myself, " you have to be kidding me... Is this thing really that good??"Yes, I must admit, it really is. Check out Mr. Cosman's sharpening routine on YouTube. If you order what he uses, it'll last you the rest of your life, and you can get your tools sharp with amazing speed. I'd give this thing 10 stars if I could.

Great item at a good price.

I got one of these finally, It is a beast on the plane blades, Mirrored edges in about 10 strokes. Like the rest of you, I was skeptical of the claims on the YouTube. I too was bitten with "this one is the best" then the inevitable "this one is better" for my sharpening options a lot. The reality is I can go from my standard Fine DMT plate, onto this 16k "stone" and have a mirror edge in about 10 strokes. It feels like it would be soft, but it's not, haven't gotten any dishing yet. Definitely read the card that comes with it, seeing a lot of negative reviews about the micro-cracks, it seems these can be caused by chemicals in the water. Mine showed "cracks" on the first use with distilled water, Been watching YouTube and I've noticed Rob's appears to have the same cracks. Either way, they still mirror an edge quick so I'm guessing it's only going to be important if I try to build a space mirror to laser pop popcorn in a professor's house. My only concern with using this is that I have had a habit of springing leaks in my fingers brushing against my blades when reaching for other stuff on the bench... with this the fingers might start leaking by just looking at the blades.

This 16000 Shapton glass stone gives my chisels and plane irons that last little bit of polish and edge. My routine usually goes Trend diamond stone to flatten the Shapton 6000 and 16000 stones. If it just needs a touch up for planning hardwood, I put the iron in the jig (I'm not good enough to freehand) take it to the 6000 for 8-10 strokes, then to the 16000 for 6-8 strokes. The actual sharpening portion doesn't take long, about 90seconds or so (not counting the setup). The result is wonderful. Hand planning with a "less than really sharp" blade is miserable. Same with cleaning dovetails with a less than really sharp chisel. This takes a lot of the effort out of hand planning, and makes using your chisel a lot easier, safer and more accurate. This 16000 stone is expensive, but at this rate should last a long time, and makes woodwork easier and much more enjoyable.

It was a gift for my son who is a chef. He loved it

Los primeros usos de esta piedra no fueron satisfactorios. Si bien cumplía su trabajo, a veces no cortaba bien, como si la herramienta resbalara por la superficie sin desgastar el acero. Su uso es para afilar formones y hojas de cepillo de carpintería.Solucioné el problema con unas pasadas de piedra nagura grano 600 antes de afilar. Ahora funciona correctamente.

After going through the different diamond grits including 8,000, the 16,000 puts the final surface that lets me shaves the hair off my arm.