Shapton Glass Stone HR Hard Bond Grit 16,000*

Great item at a good price.

This 16000 Shapton glass stone gives my chisels and plane irons that last little bit of polish and edge. My routine usually goes Trend diamond stone to flatten the Shapton 6000 and 16000 stones. If it just needs a touch up for planning hardwood, I put the iron in the jig (I'm not good enough to freehand) take it to the 6000 for 8-10 strokes, then to the 16000 for 6-8 strokes. The actual sharpening portion doesn't take long, about 90seconds or so (not counting the setup). The result is wonderful. Hand planning with a "less than really sharp" blade is miserable. Same with cleaning dovetails with a less than really sharp chisel. This takes a lot of the effort out of hand planning, and makes using your chisel a lot easier, safer and more accurate. This 16000 stone is expensive, but at this rate should last a long time, and makes woodwork easier and much more enjoyable.

I hate that this this is OUTSTANDING! Like many of you, I've tried everything to save money on sharpening equipment. I've gone through rolls of adhesive sandpaper, purchased an array of water stones, and have become quite good with a strop.Well, that's all fine and good, but my edges weren't the super duper fine ones that make hand planes and chisels REALLY RUN. So, I ponyed up. I bought some good diamond stones. Now we are talking (Although, anything over 1000 grit uses a different binder that reduces the effectiveness of diamonds, so stick with 1000 and under on those). I was getting very good edges with my diamond stones and a strop. Inevitably, I started seeing the ever so slightly rounded edges on my chisels. It's the kiss of death on chisel tracking. So, back to the search.I saw Mr. Cosman's 32 second routine. Could it be that simple? He uses diamond stones to shape and hone, then finishes with the Shapton 16000. Man, I've already spent a bunch of money on sharpening stuff that was substandard. Over $120? Wow, I can't afford that, or so I thought. I looked all over Amazon and found what I thought to be a generic copy. I had one of the generic versions delivered, only to find that it is absolutely junk. It's so soft that I could gouge a groove down the center of it all the way to the backing glass with just a few passes.OK Shapton, I capitulate. Send me your $120 sharpening stone. It had better be good, I said to myself. Well, this thing absolutely blows me away. In a matter of a few seconds, I can take a mostly finished blade to insanely, incredibly, amazingly sharp. It polishes the edges perfectly, it's extremely hard and should last for many years, and is singly the best thing I've ever purchased to sharpen tools. I love it, and I hate that I love it, because I really didn't have $120 to spend on a piece of sharpening stone.But, it is so worth it. I couldn't be happier. I said to myself, " you have to be kidding me... Is this thing really that good??"Yes, I must admit, it really is. Check out Mr. Cosman's sharpening routine on YouTube. If you order what he uses, it'll last you the rest of your life, and you can get your tools sharp with amazing speed. I'd give this thing 10 stars if I could.

I'm a fairly skilled sharpener of my woodworking and wood turning tools. I like water stones and I had a 1000, 3000 and 8000 grit stones and I got great results with them.So I was a little hesitant to spend top dollar on a 16000 Stone.And so far it's the best money I've ever spent on sharpening stones.The iron on my Lie Nielsen Low Angle Jack Plane was in need of some touching up.So I turned it loose on the Shapton 16000 and I've achieved a level of sharpness that's considerably more keen than anything I've done previously - and my usual test for when it's sharp enough is when it easily shaves the hair off my forearm.Here are the main benefits in my opinion:1. Size. It's nice and wide which makes sharpening a 2" wide plane iron really easy. It's wider than my other stones and that extra width feels luxurious.2. Speed. I simply can't believe how fast this thing cuts the steel on my planes and chisels. It's noticably faster than any of my other stones.3. End result.As mentioned, I am now getting an edge that's not a little sharper, it's a LOT sharper. And I was never unsatisfied with my results before this. I just didn't know that this level of sharpness was even possible for an amateur woodworker like me.If you're on the fence about getting this, go ahead and do it. I seriously doubt you'll be disappointed. I sure wasn't.

After going through the different diamond grits including 8,000, the 16,000 puts the final surface that lets me shaves the hair off my arm.

I have been using whetstones to sharpen my kitchen knives for many years. 16000 is a bit extreme for kitchen knives and not really needed. Even so, I just had to give this thing a spin! I'm sure it's a great stone, and I need to learn its feel. I can say that it was a good deal harder than the stones I have been using.People have praised the feedback of this stone, but I have to say that it's not as good as the softer stones. The feedback, that is. I'm sure I'll learn to like it in time, but it just doesn't feel right for now. It feels unforgiving.