FAMCÜTEPremium Whetstone Knife –1000/6000 2 Side Grit Professional Sharpening Stone with Angle Guide Non Slip Rubber Base Holder

A good gift for beginners or enthusiasts wanting to learn

I would imagine that most households aren't really familiar with the concept or use of a whetstone. Most likely use a hand-held knife sharpener to sharpen their knives. However, to maintain an optimal, professional edge, a whetstone allows you the control to create the best, sharpest edge possible.This particular whetstone is approximately 2 1/2 inches wide and 7 inches long. The stone is comprised of 2 layers... a 1,000 grit side that's used for coarse sharpening, and a 6,000 grit side that enables you to create a finely-honed edge. The stone is packaged in a plastic base with non-skid feet so that it doesn't move about when you're using... a must for safety reasons. The base also provides storage for a water bulb, an angle guide, and a separate "flattener" stone that's used to maintain the whetstone. The package also contains detailed instructions on how to sharpen knives. Those those who need further instruction, I understand there are a number of YouTube videos that help to demonstrate the process.To properly use the whetstone, you must first dampen it by soaking it in water. During use, as the stone dries, you can use the provided water bulb to add small amount of water to the stone's surface. You use the flattener stone to maintain a flat surface on the stone, as this is crucial to maintaining a proper edge on your knives. Finally, and probably most importantly for a sharpening beginner, an angle guide is provided that snaps onto the BACK of your knife. When sharpening, hold the knife with the guide flat to the surface of the stone, and this will provide a 15-degree angle to obtain an optimal edge. Use the 1,000 grit side of the stone to help repair nicked or severely dulled knives, then the 6,000 grit side to obtain a superior edge. The provided instructions will guide you through the rest of the sharpening process.I found this whetstone exceptionally easy to use and that it provides excellent results. As a "foodie," I maintain a semi-professional kitchen and have a number of high-quality knives that I used for specific purposes. A whetstone enables me to keep the edges of the knives at their sharpest and ready for any task. If you're going to spend the money to get a good knife, a proper whetstone is almost a must-have.I found nothing about the product that I would change. Having a slightly larger stone may make the process a bit quicker, but I'm happy with this product and would definitely order it again. While there are other stones that have an 8,000 grit side for the ultimate in sharpening, this is a good quality stone and is a good value.

This is an excellent Whetstone overall. The instructions make it very clear, and the included guide makes it easy for beginners to create muscle memory of the exact angle at which to sharpen. I was able to sharpen three knives (two fillets and a bait knife) in about thirty minutes, and they all passed the paper-cut test.The only problem I have with this product is that the product description actually says the stone sits on a bamboo block. Don't get too excited-it's plastic with a fake wood wrap. I was expecting wood but not a deal-breaker.However, upon re-examining the listing, it's actually labeled in the picture described as a plastic base, so I'm not too upset; it was a minor error on my part for not reading EVERYTHING, but it would be nice if the company was consistent and described it in the product description as being plastic. Either way, it's a great sharpening stone and I recommend it to beginners and knife enthusiasts.

I mean, I don't know what else to say beyond the title of this review, but this stone set is the real deal! I did about 10-15 min of sharpening on one of my kitchen knives that I have had for years and when I was done, I was cutting a sheet of printer paper to ribbons!My first attempt was on my steel cleaver, and I didn't have much success following the included instructions and using the included guide. It's not that the instructions are bad, but the instructions were just not particularly tailored to the knife I was trying to sharpen, and the knife was probably bigger than what the manufacturers envisioned would be appropriate for the included guide.Long-story short, if you get this (or any other whetstone set), just spend 5min on YouTube, and you'll be good to go. I found the instructions in this video to be particularly useful: "How to Sharpen a Knife with a Japanese Master Sharpener" by the "Munchies" channel. I picked this video mostly because it was one of the few under 10 minutes and that didn't try to gaslight me with a clickbait title--good rule of thumb if you don't want to be stuck watching 10 minutes of some dude's b-roll showing glamor shots of coffee and walking to his desk while giving you random unsolicited life advice. Anyway, after watching the video I switched to a softer knife that was shaped similarly to the knife in the video (so my older and dull kitchen knife) and got going. I did what the guy recommended, and I was slicing paper in no time! Gonna do another attempt on the steel cleaver today!If you are like me and have never used a whetstone before, the biggest thing that you will struggle with is the angle, and that's what the included instructions can't really do a good job of explaining--they try real hard, but it's not the same as watching someone do it. And, yes, the sharpening angle is a shallow angle, but it's not as shallow as you might think. Once you find the right angle, you'll have sharp knives in no time.I was able to request and get this whetstone set for free from Amazon Vine, and I would gladly spend my own money on this if I had to get another one. I highly recommend it.

I requested this stone as a convenient backup. I have a sharpening stone in the basement shop, in the kitchen, and now I have one in the garage in the workbench drawer. This set is on a par with the others. It will sharpen a knife blade or a chisel in a few minutes, with little effort. The non-skid base is always a plus and this set comes with a bulb to add additional water and clean the surface during sharpening. The price is reasonable and the "Manual" would be good for beginners.