My sincerest apologies for starting yet another even-remotely-related-to-sharpening thread...but I need some advice and where better to go for it than the Creek?!
I've been using abrasive paper on granite for some time now and while I've been able to get good results (for me, anyways), my current supply is starting to run low and I'll probably have to purchase more by mid-summer. Paper has been good to me but it is a constant expense and that's money I could be spending on something else, so.... maybe it's time to up my sharpening ante. So, I've decided - after way too much thought & deliberation, I admit - to finally start using stones.
I've never had much luck on diamond stones (that I could afford, anyways...). I don't have a good source of water in my shop, unless I want to go outside to the garden hose (I don't) and besides which my shop isn't heated so winter sharpening would likely be a pain (maybe literally?). I'm also not too keen on all that flattening, either. The "Oilstones Cut Slower!!" thing doesn't really concern me; I'm a hobby woodworker so seconds don't count much for me. Most of my tools are old(er) rehabs and are, I think, mostly O2 or similar so I'm pretty convinced that Arkansas are a good fit for me right now. Maybe it's the hippie in me, but I'm really drawn to the natural stones as opposed to the man-made (Nortons, and the like, etc.).
The only question left, then, is where to buy them? http://www.bestsharpeningstones.com/...ing_Stones.htm
Has anyone bought or used Arkansas from Best Sharpening Stones recently? I've searched through the archives here and found a Few Recent Threads that have been helpful, but the most recent is 2-1/2 years old. Still, it seems pretty clear that Dan's and Natural are considered to be the top vendors; but they're awfully expensive and my Shop Funds are on the low end these days (a new house and a new baby'll do that to you, I hear...). If the Best's are a good quality, I could pick up what I need (three 10x3 stones) from Best all at once for less than $200 - which super fits my budget at the moment. A translucent can wait, for now anyways. Anything that size at Dan's or Natural is twice that price, at least. Are the Best's any good? Decent? What say you?
Secondary Follow-Up: If the Best's aren't worth it, I'll likely go with Dan's or Natural but I'll probably also have to buy them one at a time at those prices... Is there an order I should think about buying them in? Should I buy a Soft first and work my way up to the finer stones? Or should I do the opposite and save my pennies for the finest first and come back down to a Soft? Does it even matter? And do I even really need a Hard Arkansas?
I can't imagine I won't still do my initial aggressive grinding on abrasive paper, since that's what I know (and I use the paper-on-granite for a lot of other rehab projects, too, like plane soles, etc.) and I doubt I'll stop stropping afterwards (green compound, leather), either; but after an initial 3M-level 220 or 320 grind, I'd love to not deal with paper in my daily sharpening routine anymore. And I won't even ask which oil I should use...only so many Pandora's Boxes I can open at a time!!
Y'all are the best. Super thanks to all in advance!
jake