Shapton K0705#12000 Finish Cream

I had been completely happy with my sharpening system. Quality diamond stones, coarse, fine and extra fine, and then I would strop with either chromium oxide (the green stuff) or diamond paste. it was fast, easy and very affordable, when you consider that the stones will last a lifetime. Then i got a Shapton ceramic glass stone 6000. It also is a "splash n go" so not all of the mess associated with water stones, it cuts really fast and was easy to flatten (i use my coarse diamond for this) and it put nice polish on my steel, but i still had to strop. Well, enter the Shapton Kuromaku 12000. I just sharpened a brand new Veritas 2 1/2" wide PM-V11 plane iron. it took less then five minutes, two on the 6000 two on the 12000 and one min. to put the blade back in the plane. oh, and yes, the hairs on my arm were jumping off before the edge was even near them. Perfect performance from the plane, stropping unnecessary. It looks like touching up my edges can be done with these two stones faster and more easily than ever before. i'll still keep my strop clamped to my bench to maintain the edge of chisels while I'm using them, and don't want to drag out my stones, spray bottle and sharpening jig, (Yes, I use a jig to establish a micro bevel, and using the strop will round that over a bit. Maybe there are some who can accurately maintain a micro bevel on a strop, but I'm not one of them) but at the end of the day, I'll touch up the edges on my stones, and I don't need stropping when coming directly off of the 1200, so next time i pick up those chisels they're super sharp with a perfect micro bevel. You should probably get this stone.

I started to learn on a King stone, but got serious and moved to Shapton Ceramic. Currently using 320, 1000, 5000, 12000 stones. A Nagura stone is handy for 5000+ to clean deposits and improve finishing/polishing. I love that they're all splash and go. I can tune up a knife in a matter of minutes now that I've got the practice in.320 - Amazing for repairing nicks and setting your edge. Great feel.1000 - Where all the sharpening happens. My favorite stone.5000 - Finishing, I stop here for most knives that are less than 60 HRC12000 - Amazing polish on harder knives. Gives a razor edge on HRC 60+. Gives a true mirror finish.Great stones, easy to use, consistent results. Worth the investment if you're serious about your edges.

Love this ceramic whetstone.Ok, so this stone came from Japan, and shipping takes a while... I knew this going into the transaction, but decided I didn't have to have it sooner, so the price was right for me. It actually came in a week earlier than expected, so all is good.Now to the stone.This seems to be a true 12000 grit sharpening stone. It's a waterstone, but at this grit and this quality, you really don't need to soak it and could use it as a splash and go, but I don't mind putting it (and the other grit stones) in a container with water and leaving them for 15 minutes while I get other things setup for sharpening.I am using this as a finishing stone for straight razors and some knives (mostly for showing the mirror finish on knives). It came fairly flat, but make sure you flatten your stones before you use them (it makes a difference)... either with a similar grit stone or a flattening stone. I probably don't need to mention that because if you're reading a review on a 12000 stone from Japan, you probably already know how to sharpen or are learning and will do it the right way. If you're reading this and are just looking for a stone to sharpen your tools or kitchen knives and figure the higher grit the better... then this isn't the stone for you.I like the packaging and the plastic case is also a holder for the stone during sharpening. I don't use it that way though, just because I have a setup that doesn't require it.Great stone, grit rating seems to be appropriate (you do find some that listed at 10,000+ that are nowhere near that level, but this one seems right). With proper use I expect to get years and years and years out of this stone.Excellent.

Shapton stones work well and fast. They stay flat longer than other water stones. They leave a beautiful mirror-like edge on your toll. I have a number of them and I like them because they get the job done well with limited effoert and no hassle.