Whetstone Knife Sharpener by Gourmet Tool - 1000/6000 Knife Sharpening Stone - Waterstone Grit with Non-Slip Bamboo Base Flattening Stone and Angle Guide - Best Wet Stone Kitchen Knives Gift Ideas

The media could not be loaded. I brought Whetstone Knife Sharpener by Gourmet Tool - 1000/6000 Knife Sharpening Stone - Waterstone Grit with Non-Slip Bamboo Base Flattening Stone and Angle Guidebecause it stood out among competitors. It had great reviews of past customers who have used it and love it. So I brought it.I received the stone kit from amazon and I must say I was completely amazed by the professionalism of of the packaging and care that went into putting this product together. It was top notch!Inside the box came nicely written instructions, A whetstone with a 1000 grit side combined with a 6000 grit side. The stone fits inside a rubber base which it came with and then goes inside a nice bamboo base. There were two other things which I wasn't sure about. I found out about from reading the instructions these the angle guide and the flattening / cleaning stone.I read the instructions which had everything I needed to know to get started. I went through my kitchen knife drawer which was a grave yard that had been built up for years of dull knives. I first started with the most beat up knife I could find so I could get good practice. In the instructions it said the angle guide was for practice and could scuff up good knives. So I used the angle guide on this knife because it was a good practice knife.I believe I had to slide my knife along the 1000 side roughly 30 times on each side. This was more than what the instructions said but I realize all knives are different and the process was really enjoyable so I didn't mind. I then switched over to the 6000 side and probably ran the knife about the same amount of times over the 6000 grit side. I then removed the guide. I did not notice any scratches but it was better to be safe than sorry and practice on this knife.Now was the moment of truth for me. Did this whole process work? I took out a lemon out of my fridge and put the knife to the test. I was able to slice it with ease just like a fresh razor. I then took a tomato and was able to slice that razor thin. Before this knife wouldn't cut a mushroom!!!I was impressed with the knife and my new found skills sharpening knives.After getting used to the process with my other knives. I took off the angle guide and I was able to sharpen with out it on my nicer knives. All knives had the same result!After sharpening a bunch of my knives. I took out the small white stone which is included in this kit and leveled and cleaned my whetstone to remove a debris and flatten it. This made my stone look like new again.Overall I am completely satisfied with this product and would recommend it to anyone who wants to take the time to care for their knives.Pros:Good for anyone who works well with their hands.Trusted brandKit has every thing you need to get started.Professional level stonevery attractive for a great price.Comes with flattening stone.Don't need oil just use water.Cons:Bamboo base must be dried after use. If not dried the wood will mold.You must be careful with the angle guide as it could scuff knives ( Read instructions)If your knives are too dull 1000 grit might not be a good place to start. Maybe buy a 240/800 grit stone before going to 1000 grit.It could be hard for someone who does not work well with their hands.Overall I definitely recommend sharpening your knives with a stone. The whole process is very zen like and therapeutic to me. Sure beats those cheap pull through sharpeners which ruin knives. You could take your knives to a pro and sharpen but that gets expensive and is more time consuming. You could also get something mechanical like a spinning wheel but who wants that in their house unless they have a big workshop I don't see that being practical. That leaves this kit as the perfect kit to buy for you to sharpen you knives. I don't see a better way!

A whetstone can produce a knife probably sharper than you've ever seen in person but it takes a little time to learn to do it right. If you have no patience and just want to drag your knives through something a few times and hope for the best, this is probably not for you. But if you hate dull knives and are willing to watch a couple videos to get the idea, your knives can be good as new (or better) and way sharper than those stupid things you drag a knife through will do.How do I know? I tried various gizmos for the lazy and impatient- cause I'm lazy. They generally sharpen your knives a little, if they're really dull, but they just won't get really sharp. You'll be smashing tomatoes when you want to neatly slice them, sliding off onion skin, and sawing at meat. Dull knives really are horrible.Presumably, you've also tried the gizmos and are deciding if you want to bother with a whetstone, because you were disappointed in their performance too. I suggest you watch a couple videos on how to use a whetstone. If you have decided it's worth the effort for sharp knives, this one won't disappoint. Having the two grits on either side of the same stone is handy for saving space and only wetting/drying one stone. The little wooden holder thing is nice looking but does slide around a little on very smooth surfaces- that said, as far as whetstones go, it's very easy to use.A last thing to consider is grit. These numbers are nice if you don't have people using your knives as hammers and just want to resharpen your knives a couple times a year or more often. If you have children or guests that do stupid things with knives, you may also want a 400 grit stone to get the damage off first before switching to 1000 on this stone to get it sharp, then 6000 to get it ridiculously sharp. The 1000 grit takes a long time if the knife is really beat up from people thoughtlessly cutting on ceramic, trying to cut bone like a machete, and other things that people who never sharpen knives will do with them.

the whetstone knife sharpening tool worked pretty well, fortunately my husband had used sharpening stones in the past so I had him try it first. He was not pleased with the directions that came along with the stone. They are a bit confusing stating that you are to "slide it diagonally across the stone from hilt to tip" however the photo shows the demonstrator going in a perpendicular motion.Aside from the somewhat poor quality of photo directions, I was pleased with the outcome. I tried before and after cuts with three of my knives using a tomato for the test. I was definitely pleased with the difference before sharpening with the stone there was a bit of a draw to cut the tomato, after using the stone there was a smooth, even cut.We felt that the "easy to use angle guide" was more of a hindrance than help and probably wont bother using that in the future.I would have liked to have been given a bit more info on the "grinding to restore its flat surface." How is that done, how often should that be done. Myself, being a novice at this would have liked a bit more guidance in that area. This was not an inexpensive purchase and I would expect it to last for some time, I didn't realize I would have to grind it in order to maintain its quality and I would have liked to have known that prior to my purchase.