Originally Posted by
Archie England
I bought some Sigma Power Ceramic stones from Stu (TFJ) and they (1000, 6000, 13000) are INCREDIBLE, cutting far better than my Ark oil stones and my Norton water stones. These Sigmas are fantastic.
First, with two O1 chisels (Irwin, 1/2 and 3/4) I went from flattening the backs to sharpening bevels on the Norton 1000 and the Sigma 1000. The Sigma 1000 was multiple times faster!!!!! At least 3x faster. And, it left a sharper, more polished edge than the Norton. IT LEFT A LOT LESS MESS, TOO. This stone is incredibly responsive (its the Sigma hard) and very, very dish resistant. I kept drawing lines to see where it was dishing--and it wasn't.
By the end of the morning, I concluded that oil stones produce an edge that is as sharp as the Norton 8000 but not as polished. The Norton 8000 leaves the edge less sharp than the Sigma 6000, though its polish is nearly comparable. The Sigma 13000 continues to cut and polish to a very high mirror polish. Cutting SYP end grain has never been so easy. The sharpness factor is clearly better than a blade sharpened to 6000--but I don't know a quantifiable way to define that experience. So, YMMV.
When I took the Irwins, Stanley's, Ashley Iles, and Lie Nielsons off the Sigma Power stones, I couldn't believe how mirror polished the backs and bevels were!! Yes, I consistently get wicked sharp with Ark oil stones (ain't no betta!!); but, the Sigma ceramics just cut and polish so much faster than the either the oil stones and the nortons. BTW, my Ark. stones cut A2, as well as the Nortons--though the Nortons are a little faster on the A2; about the same for 01. The Sigmas are screaming fast compared to that.
There is some mess. But compared to the Nortons, the Sigmas are significantly less messy in fresh dressing, water spritzing, and clean up. The Sigmas cut faster, resist dishing significantly longer, and leave the beginnings of mirror polishing much quicker--oh, and draw burr extremely faster, too.
I've been able to compare these findings with a used Chosera 1000. Wow! The Chosera 1000 is a lot harder and more dish resistant than the Nortons (way more so) and even more resistant than the Sigma 1000. Because it tends to load faster, it cuts messier by all the water I use to diffuse the loading. The stone cuts beautifully and nearly as quickly (or maybe just as quickly) as the Sigma 1000. In a longevity contest, I'd bet the Chosera would outlast my Sigma 1000 by perhaps twice. However, in terms of cutting power, failing to load up and glaze, and polish, the Chosera can't keep up with the Sigma Power 1000. Given the fact that it's typically twice the price, well . . . you draw the conclusion.
One day I'll beg or borrow a Shapton Pro 1000 and 2000 to test against the Sigma 1k and the Chosera 1k. The Shapton beats all three (Norton, Sigma, and Chosera) in terms of readiness right out of the box--it needs no soak whereas the others do though the Chosera and Sigma are really short soaks (my experience). David Weaver and Derek Cohen and others should be able to provide you with great info about the Shaptons.
As far as a system, I find I need more help in the lower grits than the upper ones. David Weaver recommends the 1000 followed by a 15000. I now understand that, though I wouldn't ask my Sigma or Chosera 1000 to stretch that far: smaller steps shorten the work along the way and better prepare blades for cutting and polishing. However, I will concede to David that a 1000 grit, well-sharpened blade is by far more important than the upper grits.
If you are primarily working Veritas, Hock, LN, Cosman, etc, blades then you probably won't need stones in the 120/240/400/800 range prior to the 1000 (especially since a Shapton Pro 1000 is really a 700 grit stone). But, if you are rehabbing older blades, get ready to buy these lower grit stones, too.
Good luck with your purchase! And, I really think that all you need is a replacement for the Norton 220/1000 stones. Your Norton 4000/8000 stones are great quality! So, buy a quality 1k stone. That's essential. If you're able, I'd recommend a quality upper range stone, too. For me, that's a no-brainer, the Sigma power 13000 from TFJ. It's just that good!!!!