SHARPAL162N Double-sided Diamond Sharpening Stone Whetstone Knife Sharpener |Coarse 325 / Extra Fine 1200 Grit | Storage Case with NonSlip Base & Angle Guide (8 in. x 3 in.)

I could rant for so long about this stone, just buy it and find out why. No grit contamination, stable on the table and heavy as a mf, stone is flat, and it'll probably last me for a decade or two. Works immaculately, sharpens so fast. Worth the buy.

This is my very first "sharpening system" that I have purchased primarily for sharpening my woodworking tools. I always wanted to go straight to diamond whetstones due to their low maintenance and longevity compared to traditional oil or water stones, but I couldn't bring myself to pay that initial expense. Then comes along this Sharpal system (I bought the 3"x8" variety). The price was so good, I was a bit leary about the quality or whether or not it would last. Not having much experience sharpening hand woodworking tools, I wasn't even sure if the basic two-grit system (325 and 1200 for this set) would work (including a leather strop, which I purchased separately).Sharpal's description of their product checked all the right boxes: monocrystaline diamonds, electroplated bonding, super flat plate, storage and holding case. With the 3 year warranty and the great price, I decided I had nothing to lose, so I took the plunge.I used it for the first time yesterday (along with an off-brand "Eclipse" style honing guide that I also recently purchased). I had a #4 plane iron and a set of 4 chisels that needed sharpening. The iron is used (~100 years old) and just needed a basic touch-up, but the chisels were brand new and had never been set up or sharpened (except by the factory). In all cases, the Sharpal system performed fantastically well. All of my worries about only having a coarse and extra fine grit (and stroping) step in my sharpening process were laid to rest. These two grits along with the strop were all I needed to get hair-shaving-, magazine-paper-slicing-sharp edges on my tools.Sharpal says to sharpen dry, but I decided to use some Windex for this first go-around (based on what I've learned from the web). It worked just fine. I will likely try to sharpen dry, like Sharpal recommends, next time around. One thing I noticed is that, when I was all done, it took a bit of effort to clear out all of the metal dust, even though I was using the Windex to keep metal from building up. I have to wonder, then, if the Windex made much difference. In any case, when I was finished, I rinsed the plate under the sink and scrubbed it with my fingers (I didn't have a nylon brush handy). It came clean at the expense of my finger prints. :)The base/case works very well. It protects the plate while stored, has a handy cutout to hold the "angle finder" pyramid and holds the plate perfectly still while sharpening due to its foam rubber bottom.Back to that angle finder pyramid. This was a pleasant little bonus. I have a few high end Japanese kitchen knives that I have traditionally sharpened with a Lansky sharpening system (the one with the the blade clamp and the skinny whetstones that go on the end of a metal rod). I decided to try sharpening my chef's knife with the Sharpal whetstone. This particular knife has a 20° angle, so that's the side I used on the pyramid. It was surprisingly easy to do this. I think I only made 10 passes on each side of the blade with the coarse grit, then the fine, then my stropping leather. That blade was easily the sharpest it has ever been. So, as a bonus, I now have a better, simpler way to sharpen my knives!I can't really comment on longevity yet since I've only had it for a few days, but so far, it looks like something that will last WAY beyond its 3 year warranty.If you're like me and you've been waiting on the fence to make the investment into diamond whetstones, no need to wait any longer. This is the set you want.

This sharpening stone is effective, easy to use and (relatively) cost-effective. The 300 grit side is useful for quickly profiling an edge and bringing it to apex/burr. Careful use of the 1000 grit side can effectively remove the burr without requiring the use of a stropping operation. I highly recommend the 8" length instead of the smaller 6" length for both guided sharpening systems and hand sharpening as well. You'll appreciate the additional length as it provides more surface area and allows for longer sharpening strokes leading to improved consistency and performance.

First thing I want to say in this update is that their customer service is absolutely fantastic. They reached out to me and offered me a replacement Stone no questions asked and I'm very proud to say that my Replacements don't is absolutely perfect not a single flaw on it anywhere it's totally flat the diamond is well bedded and the stone Cuts beautifully and extremely consistent. I greatly appreciate when a company takes care of their customers Amazon of course has fantastic customer service and I'm glad to say that Sharpal also takes very good care of their customers. They was easy to work with I didn't have to reach out to them they reached out to me and they made me a happy customer. Judging by how beautiful the second stone is I have no doubt that it was an anomaly and what I got the first time and is not going to happen very often and if it does happen you can be assured that they will take care of you and that's what matters. I have already sharpened three knives on the stone all three come here whittling off the 1200 and the stone feels absolutely beautiful it cuts very quickly the 325 side is very aggressive remove steel very very fast even steals like k390 and s110v and the 1200 leaves a beautiful scratch pattern with a lot of aggression but yet still here whittling keenness. I am absolutely stoked to have this Stone I know it's going to last a good long time because the diamond bedding is done very well and what is the most impressive to me out of this considering I'm very into sharpening is just how consistently the diamond is sized in fact I'm going to go out on a limb and say that there is not a diamond plate made that has more consistent Diamond sizing than this plate and that is really impressive considering the price. I have electroplated CBN plates that are $200 for one Grit that don't have as consistent sizing as abrasive as the stone does at $70 and includes two grits that's impressive I have risen bonded Diamond Stones that don't have his consistent of diamond sizing as this plate does and that's really saying something these Stones absolutely blow DMT out the water no comparison in consistency and quality. DMT used to make truly incredible quality diamond plates 10 plus years ago but their quality has fallen off greatly over the past 5 to 7 years however I would compare this plate in quality to that of DMT from 10 years ago so that means you are going to get a fantastic quality plate that's going to last you a long time and perform very good for you. These plates are extremely flat the diamond sizing is extremely consistent and the diamond coverage is also extremely consistent and that's what we're looking for in Diamond plates so if you're a sharpener that needs a diamond plate and you want a very high quality piece that also has good customer service attached to it I wouldn't hesitate to buy from this brand. The only thing that I think that they need to do and I hope they do is create a lower grip plate to go along with this plate something like a two-sided 150 and 600 would be a perfect compliment to this plate and I would also see them make a two-sided extremely coarse plate for serious steel removal something like an 80 grit on one side and 180 grit on the other side that would also be very welcomed but that would only be really needed for people like myself who are professional sharpeners and need to remove steel quickly to be able to make reasonable money per hour. I would say that the 150,600 would be a better option for them to make for the general sharpener. The 325 does cut very fast but if you're doing heavy reprofiling it's not coarse enough it doesn't remove steel fast enough for heavy reprofiling and that is where something like a 150 and a 600 would be a perfect compliment to this 325 and 1200. This brand is going to do big things because they're making a truly high quality product and selling it at a very very fair price and most importantly the customer service is excellent and that's what truly matters. It would have been one thing if I would have reached out to them and complained and then they would have just made me a happy customer by giving me a stone that wouldn't say a whole lot about their customer service other than they're just trying to hush somebody but that's not what they did they reached out to me and wanted information on the stone that I got so they could increase their product quality and make sure that this doesn't happen again and on top of that all for me a stone and get it to me within 3 days to make sure that I had a stone that was in good condition and ready to be used without any flaws I didn't ask them for anything they come to me to make me a happy customer and I genuinely appreciate that because that's how companies should do their customers. We spend our money with these companies and most companies could care less about making you a truly happy customer however this company did exactly that they made me a truly happy customer and they most definitely earn my business from now on and I buy a lot of sharpening stones so I am happy to say that I will be a customer for a very long time and I will most definitely support their products. Excellent job Sharpal on awesome customer service and making an Excellent and high performance product!With all the buzz around these stone not having any grit contamination and being extremely flat well I must be unlucky as mine has a pea size high spot on the 325 side it's a big high spot in the electroplating dead in the center of the plate. To say I'm bummed is an understatement. Sharpening on this would absolutely destroy an edge every time you hit that high spot I'm very not happy about it. 1200 side looks beautiful but the coarse side is wrecked. I was really looking forward to a high quality plate because DMT isn't doing the quality they used to so I wanted to buy a different brand that is claiming top quality but what I got was a huge QC over sight.