Samura Whetstone, #8000

The Samura whetstone #8000 is a very fine sharpening stone for delicate finishing work on your kitchen knives. You use it at the very end of a sharpening session, after coarser stones have done the main work, to polish and refine the edge.

Grit and sharpening

A whetstone's grit number tells you how fine its abrasive is. The higher the number, the finer the stone and the smoother the edge it leaves. With a #8000 grit, this stone has a very small abrasive grain and belongs at the finishing end of the process. It lets you polish the edge to a mirror-like finish without extra polishing aids.

To restore the right angle or to start sharpening, use a coarser stone first, then move to the #8000 for the final polish.

Size, weight and warranty

The stone measures 185 × 65 mm and is 19 mm thick, with a net weight of 353 g. It comes in a branded SAMURA box with a base that keeps the stone steady while you work, and it carries a 2-year warranty.

Best uses

• Final finishing after sharpening on coarser stones
• Polishing the cutting edge to a mirror-like finish
• Double-bevel kitchen knives, one side at a time until a burr appears
• Single-bevel Japanese knives, bevelled side first

Care and sharpening

Before use, submerge the whetstone completely in water for 10–15 minutes and keep it wet the whole time you sharpen. Work one side of the knife until a burr appears, then the other side, and hold the original factory bevel angle of 15–17° throughout. For single-bevel Japanese knives, sharpen the bevelled side until a uniform burr appears, then pass the concave side lightly over the stone.

About Samura sharpening tools

SAMURA recommends sharpening its knives on whetstones, and its sharpening tools are made to do the job without much effort. Besides single-grit whetstones in various grain sizes, the range includes combination whetstones, a honing rod and a sharpening angle holder.