Reddit reviews Atoma Diamond Sharpener Medium - #400

I was discussing with a Japanese kanna maker how to sharpen my kanna and he emphasized how important it is to maintain the flatness of the stones as I sharpen. He told me he uses a 400 grit diamond plate to constantly flatten the stones. And sent me this video. I love the way the blade makes a tight seal to the stone each time he removes the blade from the stone. I have a new objective for sharpening my edge tools.

The plate he uses: Atoma Diamond Sharpener Medium - #400 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031KNR2O

I know you said you wanted a Japanese handle but I think you should consider a Misono Molybdenum. It was my first knife and I’m honestly still happy with it.
Its inexpensive, tough, takes a pretty good edge, and has good fit and finish. It won’t take as keen of an edge as the knives you mentioned.. but its easy to sharpen which is great if you’re learning how to.

I own a Ginga too and its pretty amazing but I wouldn’t want it as my sole knife. It’s a really thin blade so its a bit more fragile than the Misono. I personally would rather have a tougher knife if I only had one.

I also really like the Hi-soft cutting board. It’s easy on knives, has some weight and theres very little maintenance. Just don’t put it in the dishwasher.

Misono Molybdenum 240mm ~ $112.50

(Korin is having a 15% off sale on knives right now)
http://korin.com/HMI-MOGY-240?sc=27&category=280076

Hi-Soft Cutting Board ~ $48.00

(From Korin. Combine the shipping with the Misono)
http://korin.com/HiSoft-Cutting-Board_3?sc=28&category=286082

Bester 1200 ~ $55

(Leaves a good edge alone)

OR

Shapton Pro 1000 ~ $35

(I like the Bester better but this is a really good deal on Amazon Prime)
https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPFT0G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500081962&sr=8-1&keywords=shapton+pro+1000

Suehiro Rika 5000 ~ $50

(Optional.. nice to have tho)

Atoma 400 ~$60

(For stone flattening. You can buy a cheaper plate if you want)
https://www.amazon.com/Generic-Diamond-Sharpener-Medium-400/dp/B0031KNR2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500081982&sr=8-1&keywords=atoma+400
I know the link says generic.. but this is an Atoma 400. Just make sure you buy the one that is Amazon Prime

I wouldn’t spend all $500 at once. You can always buy a nicer knife later.. and having two knives is convenient anyway.

I use an Atoma 400 to flatten my Jnat. $62.38 from Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Atoma-Diamond-Sharpener-Medium-400/dp/B0031KNR2O

additionally i saw everyone recommend Atoma 400, is this it?

Fibrox 8” chef knife:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000638D32

Shapton 1k Sharpening Stone: Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPFT0G

Lapping stone (to flatten your whetstone after it needs leveling from use...you won’t need this right now and can make do without):
Atoma Diamond Sharpener Medium -... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031KNR2O

Here’s the utility knife version of the larger knife, one of my personal favorites, same thing but 5” instead of 8” : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QCLEFC

The fibrox has relatively soft steel compared to most Japanese styles so it is a more forgiving blade and won’t chip. This also means you can use a honing rod between uses to maintain its edge and not have to sharpen as often.

500$ is an astronomical budget for beginner water stones, so let me just make sure that's out in the open.

Yes, 8k is on the high end of what you want to finish most kitchen knives on. Something along the lines of a Wusthof will retain a coarser edge more readily. Harder steels will generally retain a higher grit edge for longer. This is a gross over-simplification, but is sufficient for this conversation.

Since you want to go with splash and go and, from what I gather, this is intended to be a somewhat special gift for a special person... I'm going to forgo the budget options in the splash and go category, since I'm personally not a fan of them and wouldn't want them for myself.

All of that out of the way, you're going to want at bare minimum one medium grit stone (about 1k to 2k grit). If you have somewhat harder knives or if your skill is sufficient, you can make good use of a finishing stone for certain tasks (about 3k-8k is recommended for kitchen tasks, although you can go higher). You can make do without a flattening stone or plate for a little while, so you can view this piece as optional, but recommended since it will improve your mileage with your stones by keeping them flat and your angles consistent. Lastly, you might want a stone holder. These are generally adjustable rubber contraptions designed to keep the stone in one place while you're sharpening and help raise it off whatever surface you're sharpening on for comfort.

For a medium grit splash and go stone, the Naniwa Professional 1k would be my primary choice as a forever stone. You'd be hard-pressed to find any detractors for this stone among regulars on this sub or elsewhere. It's a great stone.

There are a few other options that I'd also recommend, but personally don't favor as highly as the Naniwa for the price. Those are the Shapton Pro 1k the Maido 2k and the Gesshin 1200 Splash and Go. Each of these stones will be splash and go, but will cut it slightly varying speeds, dish somewhat differently and feel a little bit different while using. Each of these are solid choices, but I have a preference to the Naniwa Pro.

For a finishing stone that is splash and go, I'd probably recommend the Gesshin 5k Splash and Go as my primary choice. The Naniwa Professional 5k is, like the rest of the line, an amazing stone in my opinion. The price is double that of the Gesshin, though, and I don't think it's worth dropping the money on as a first finishing stone regardless of budget; it's simply hard to justify that difference in price unless you're really discerning in what you want. I guess the Shapton Pro 5k deserves an honorable mention because it has a lot of fans. It's a little too glassy feeling for me and lacking in feedback so I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner sharpener.

For a flattening plate, I'd recommend either a DMT 325 diamond plate or an Atoma 140/400 grit diamond plate. The Atoma plates are constructed a little better in my opinion, but any of those plates will work for you as long as you keep its primary function to flattening your stones. The 140 Atoma will be the quickest at its job, but will leave somewhat deep scratches in your finishing stone so you'll want to smooth it out with your medium grit stone after lapping.

For a stone holder, you can honestly just stack some towels up or make your own out of some stuff around the house, but I like using a dedicated stone holder like this one.

That's about it. Keep in mind I kept my recommendations on the high end given the occasion seems to be special and your budget was fairly high to begin with. If you'd like some more budget recommendations just let me know.

Well, these ones - http://imgur.com/a/cVobL - are made from crap materials. The coarse side might be accurate, and the finishing side will almost surely be equal to the coarse side on these stones. I really wouldn't recommend them. And there are a ton of them on Amazon, that look exactly the same with a different logo.

The exceptions are the King brand. These are made in Japan (website - http://matsunaga-corp.co.jp/en/products-cat/king/ - only for reference, purchase on Amazon in my opinion) and are actually of quite good quality.

King 300 grit - $25.80 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050ADA2U

King 1000/6000 - $28.14 -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DT1X9O

I have these in my cart to try. Compared to the Shaptons? (and he uses the full line it looks like..which is at least 1000, 2000, 5000, 8000, 12000, maybe 30000...the 30000 grit stone is $350...)

Shapton Kuromaku (Pro in USA) 1000 - $34.59 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPFT0G

Shapton 5000 - $46.99 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TPH8YG

Atoma 400 diamond plate - $63.00 -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031KNR2O (I see some from other sellers for cheaper...they aren't real Atoma brand. Get a Prime one.)

Whatever route you take, I cannot recommend enough a Stone Holder.

PowerTec stone holder - $16.94 -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NFB2MTI

What's the difference? What they're made of. The Shapton Pro line are made from ceramic abrasives. The King line..I honestly don't know exactly. They require soaking as they are not ceramic. But it's not just a cheap mix of whatever...King is a good brand. Naniwa also comes up a lot - very good brand. Suehiro...

If you're rich try out the Japanese Natural Stones - JNS - let me know how they work out! Lol. http://japanesenaturalstones.com ($1000+ stones...from ancient Japanese mines and stuff! Ha.)

Edit - formatting