Naniwa or Shapton?

[Robert Dixon MN]

I'm about to take the plunge and get some new waterstones to replace my horrible old waterstone that's been sitting around for years. I had decided to bite the bullet and get the Shaptons, but the Naniwas certainly would be cheaper. I would appreciate feedback on either, specifically;
- which cuts faster? I'll be doing mainly flat plane irons and chisels. No turning
- which wears best?
- is one easier to use than another? I've heard talk about "stiction" when it comes to Shaptons. Is stiction even a word? Sounds like something Don King would make up.
- do you find a difference in edge achieved with either stone(s)?

TIA.

I know there are endless threads on sharpening, but i haven't read much on the Naniwas

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

They will both wear out.

[Wilbur Pan]

I have the Shapton professional series waterstones, and have tried out the Naniwa waterstones.

They both will last a long time, remain really flat, cut very quickly, and give you a great edge. To me, the feel of the Naniwas in use was nicer.

If I was starting from scratch, I would get the Naniwas. But I'm not going to go through the trouble of selling my Shaptons and replacing them with Naniwas. When my Shaptons wear out, I plan on replacing them with Naniwas, but it's going to be a LONG time before that happens.

Hope that made sense.

[Konrad Sauer]

Hi Robert,

I am in the same boat as Wilbur - a long time user of the Shapton ProSeries stones. Joel lent me the 5K and 10K Naniwas stones at WWIA this past weekend. I have to say - I was very impressed. The 5K stone needed a bit of flattening, so I opted to use my 5K shapton... but the 10k Naniwa was a real treat to use. It cut as fast as a 5K stone, but left a surface quality similar to my 15k shapton. Even if the Shapton and the Naniwa stones are equal, the fact that the Naniwa can be maintained without the use of a $300 diamond lapping plate makes it a no-brainer as far as I am concerned. I love my Shapton stones - but the cost of the diamond plate still rubs me the wrong way.

I have not experienced sticking with the Shapton pro series at all - but like anything - it does take some time to get a feel for them.

[Raney Nelson]

on the Naniwas. There are two series - the Super stones, which I think are roughly comparable to the shaptons, but a bit less expensive. They strike me as a tad softer than shapton, either a good or bad thing depending on your preference, and I liked the feedback from them.

There are also the Naniwa Chosera stones, which are Naniwa's higher end line. They are very nice stones, but are a bit of a cost step-up; these are the stones Konrad is referring to, above. The 10k chosera stone is easily the finest man-made waterstone I've ever used - but it also has a price commensurate with that.

FWIW, I have a mix of shapton pros, glasstones, and the 10k Chosera. All are excellent, and like Wilbur and Konrad, I see no reason to get rid of any of them in order to switch.

[Robert Dixon MN]

Thanks for the opinions, guys. Naniwa certainly is a less expensive option. Hey Konrad, was just reading about your planes. WOW! Someday, if I can secure some substantial orders I might come a-knockin.
Bought my first house in Hamilton, and my initial Cabinet maker training was in Toronto.

[Konrad Sauer]

Hi Robert,

Hamilton and Toronto... that practically makes us distant neighbours Come Knockin anytime.

Thanks Raney for clarifying the two different stones. I guess you and I will be racing to see who wears through our Shaptons first then!

[Robert Dixon MN]

Konrad,
Love to, but I'm in Minneapolis now.

[Doug Shepard]

I've just recentlly been looking into the Naniwa stones. Am I right in my reading that the Chosera need to be soaked while the SuperStones dont? One of the things that originally put me off with waterstones was needing to soak. A lot of my shop time is in in colder weather and I'd rather not have to work with real cold wet stones in the shop.

[Denis Tranchemontagne]

So what does one flatten the Naniwa stones with?

Oilstones, my current sharpening seem very slow.

Denis

[Harlan Barnhart]

I flatten mine on a norton stone made for that purpose. BTW, I really like the super stones and would buy them again. For the money, its a great set. They are a bit thin, maybe twenty years from now when I wear the 1000 through, I will wish I had bought something different.

[Raney Nelson]

I've just recentlly been looking into the Naniwa stones. Am I right in my reading that the Chosera need to be soaked while the SuperStones dont? One of the things that originally put me off with waterstones was needing to soak. A lot of my shop time is in in colder weather and I'd rather not have to work with real cold wet stones in the shop.

I believe you are correct. I can only vouch for the 10k chosera, but it does indeed need soaking. The super stones don't, and neither do any of the shaptons.


I use a DMT diamond stone for flattening.

[Doug Shepard]

Well I took the plunge and ordered up the 3 stone set (1/5/8K grit) of Superstones and decided to go for the 10K Chosera too. They're on BO for a week or 2 so I may not get them until after Christmas but I'm looking forward to trying these out. Just haven't been 100% satisfied with the sharpness I'm getting using Scary Sharp or the Worksharp. I get them sharp - just not quite sharp enough to shave arm hair with.

[Richard Jones]

FWIW, I just received a 10k Naniwa SS, thick one with no base. My first impressions of the stone are good. It certainly does polish well, and doesn't seem hard like my old King G-3, yet still cuts fast. Yes, I have to be more careful with it than my 1k GS, but that's OK, I'm not in a race. Not soaking is nice, too. Also makes pretty green slurry.................

I would love to try the Chosera 10k, maybe next year............

I don't see how you can go too far wrong with either one.

Rich

[Matt Stiegler]

Naniwa chosera stones are ~25% off at TFWW right now.