Suehiro Cerax #320

This might be the stone I was missing. It's a low-grit, which helps to profile the steel. In under 5 minutes I got a knife from dull to paper sharp just on this stone alone after soaking it, and I like to splash a little water on here and there.

Extra large whetstone...works fast to sharpen a blade but you have to know what you are doing. Effective once you figure it out. Much better quality than the other brands. This is the real deal. You will only ever need to buy this once for an industrial kitchen or workshop. I bought several grits. Expensive but good tools cost!

Disclaimer: my review is based on sharpening an extremely dull set of German steel knives and a very soft metal dull set of "no name" knives. Both belonged to a relative. The Cerax 320 is a softer, grittier stone designed to quickly reset a bevel and cutting edge. The 320 removed knife edge dings and reset the bevel very quickly on knives that had never been properly sharpened. The sound and feel of the stone is like sandpaper on the knife. The edge was then set on a Cerax 1000. Each German knife only took 10 minutes, start to finish, using both stones to make razor sharp. The 320 grit was too aggressive for the soft, cheap, no name knives. A burr formed after only 5 push/pull strokes. I would not use this stone on my own knives that have been properly stone sharpened and maintained. It is in my knife sharpening arsenal for friends and relatives who use my knives once and ask me to sharpen theirs.

This is a stone that sits in a strange place. As a soaking stone there is already a small issue, there is a wait time to be able to use the stone. This requires planning ahead, about 15-20 minutes which for the impatient can seem like an eternity and also requires owning a container large enough to put it in for it to soak. It comes with a rubber base which i quite like and a little cleaning stone. The stone also cuts pretty well removing a good amount of material with every pass. It feels decently smooth though it does clog up slightly with very heavy use so at times i find myself cleaning it mid session. It also is a bit softer than some higher grit splash and go stones like the choseras but its not a major issue since i flatten it after every use (a few quick passes to clean the surface and remove very minor dishing to save time in the future). It removes chips without creating new ones and it does feel like a good quality stone. The issue i have with it is that to use it i need a flattening stone, in this case a diamond plate. The problem with that is that i find myself using the diamond plate (similar grit: 400 on the atoma vs 320 for the cerax) whenever i need a coarse stone to set new bevels or correct chips so i never really use this stone. The diamond plate is a must have to own whetstones of any grit in order to keep them in top shape, and this stone being so close in grit just doesnt make any sense to me. The diamond plate is always there when i am sharpening and requires no set up time, and no soaking. The diamond plate is actually faster as well, though it does leave much larger burrs and is no good as a finishing stone. but this, while it leaves a smaller more removable burr is not a finishing stone either. Its a smoother and more pleasant experience when actually running the blade on the stone during sharpening than the diamond plate and with a careful hand you can even finish the edge on this stone leaving a very toothy apex for exceptional bite, but i never really finish on this coarse a grit anyways. The ease and instant availability of the diamond plate just eclipses how good of a stone this is. I would probably skip this stone seeing as to how little i use it but if you really enjoy how blades feel on stones and prefer a more traditional experience this is a fantastic stone that just works. It will also not wear through your fingertips as fast as diamond plates on extended sharpening sessions with poor technique (i can attest to that).

I'm a handy man that goes through work knifes fairly often. I just started using this wet sharpening stone this year. I'ts a little messier than the usual diamond stones, requiring a little more time. But I think this wet stone actually takes the knife edge down a little faster. And it leaves a little smoother, more polished, edge. I'm still learning how to make the best use of this ceramic stone. Since it requires a little more set-up and clean-up time, I usually line up a few knifes that need maintenance, then use the wet stone.

I do a lot of sharpening. Some people do yoga, others meditation. I sharpen knives. This is what I use as the starting point for my dull knives unless the knife has damage. Saw it recommended on Burrfection / Youtube. Check his site out. No regrets. Reasonable price and will perform a lot of work given its thickness.

Definitely a good ceramic whetstone. Cuts fast, and stays relatively flat if used properly with the correct technique. This stone will get your knife roughly sharp as well as getting a new edge. This stone is only meant to be the first step in the sharpening process. Use the cerax 1000 grit stone after this one to get a true sharp edge.

Quality diamond stones are all the rage these days but if you want some good old fashion whetstone, this is about as good as they get.

Excelente producto, solo que me llegó astillada porque el empaque fue muy deficiente

Es una piedra "blanda" pero que da una experiencia de afilado TOP. Tengo naniwa y shapton y para grano 400, ésta es mi favorita.

Güzel ama çabuk eriyor. Taş hemen bel verdi

This stone is perfect for the first stage of knife sharpening.

I picked up the Suehiro Cerax 320 to restore the edge on my kitchen knives and it exceeded expectations. The 320 grit cuts fast and removes metal efficiently — perfect for reprofiling or fixing a neglected blade. The stone has great feedback, you can feel the steel working against it, and it stays flat longer than cheaper alternatives. Soak time is about 5-10 minutes and it holds water well throughout the session. I used it on my De Buyer carbon steel knives and the difference was night and day — went from struggling with tomatoes to slicing paper-thin. If you're building a sharpening setup, this is the coarse stone to start with. Follow it up with a 1000 and 3000 and your knives will perform like new. Made in Japan quality shows — consistent grit, no soft spots, solid construction. Only note: 320 is coarse, so this isn't for regular touch-ups. It's for when a knife actually needs work. For weekly maintenance you'll want something finer. But for what it does, it does it brilliantly.