Shapton Glass Stone 220 HR

Works incredibly well to sharpen a dull neglected knife.

This Shapton 220 seems (in my subjective perception) to last about four times as long and requires far less frequent lapping than the cheaper competitor(s?). Well worth the approximately 30% extra cost, currently. I've worn it down to about 1/16" of an inch off the glass base in the last three years and I am now wondering when I need to purchase another one. Unlike the non-glass-based stones, this one keeps on being usable until the bitter end. It makes much less of a mess than the competitor in terms of grit shedding. It is also a really nice looking stone and easy to use because it doesn't need to be pre-soaked. If there is a better 220 grit water stone than this Shapton, I am not aware of it.

Overall the 220 cuts quickly, but wears equally fast! Make sure you have a lapping stone to keep it flat. Once I've worn through it I want to try a diamond stone to see if that's a better value.

Fantastic Stone... Shaped my Stainless Steel Hatchet within an hour out of the box; and has done many blades since then with amazing rapidity. I wish I had known of these stones many years ago ! A little pricey; but if you do a lot of sharpening, it's well worth the price. They are a bit fragile. One wrong-angled stroke or tap with a blade and it will chip. Be gentle.

It works quickly on knives.

I've found that many low grit stones wear quickly and end up being worn away by the knife instead of wearing away the knife and making it sharp. Like all Shapton stones this model gets used up very very slowly and in turn sharpens my knife super fast. It is most highly recommended!

As a woodworker who only uses hand tools, My work requires a sharp blade. Whether that’s a chisel or plane blade.I have used at-least several other sharpening systems, diamond stones, oil stones, water stones, and most recently the scary sharp system. I always heard shapton was the best available, but I always wanted a cheaper option.I wish I purchased this years ago. It cuts faster than any other system, sure you need to re-flatten it every so often, but my diamond stone does it in less than a minute. Overall very pleased, I plan to purchase other grits in the future!

This is the first stone for use in edge restoration. It's easy to prepare, use and care for. Glass stones don't easily loose their flat surface.