Nomura Toishi "Saku" Super Synthetic Finishing Whetstone Grit 8000

Length: 25cm

Width: 8cm

Height: 2.5cm

Weight: 777g

Fine Whetstone #8000 to be used after a standard whetstone. For those seeking more sharpness and better maintenance.

It is an artificial whetstone made by Nomura Toishi, which is familiar with the goodness of natural whetstones. It can be used not only for carbon steel but also for stainless steel knives.

What is "朔 Saku" whetstone

"朔" is a Chinese character that combines the Chinese character for "屰", which means to return to the original state, and the Chinese character for "月", which is formed by the shape of the recent moon.

Combined, "朔　Saku" means return to its original state or be reborn anew.

Nomura Toishi, which has been dedicated to natural whetstones for more than 100 years,  created the Saku whetstone with the aim of creating a whetstone that reborns the knife.

Because Nomura Toishi focused on the quality of raw materials, the price is a little high for an artificial whetstone, but it offers a sharpening taste like a natural "SUITA" whetstone and the stable and easy handling of an artificial one.

Why knives get dull

There are no knives that retain the best sharpness without sharpening. But why do knives lose sharpness? It is simply because of abrasion on the edge.

Edge abrasion occurs when it cuts food and hits a chopping board. (For saving long lasting edge, we recommend wooden boards over plastic ones) Each time you cut vegetables or meat, a sharp edge gets more rounded and dull through abrasion. Unfortunately, we cannot see how much the edge is worn off without a microscope. 

Why not steel but whetstone?

For many knife users, honing steels are the popular choice. But in terms of retention of sharpness, it does not give good effects. On the contrary, it ruins a good edge in a long run.

Honing with a steel mainly helps remove dirt and oil from the edge so you may feel the edge is sharp with cleaner cuts. In fact, it has sharpening effects as the edge gets rubbed on a file.

However, it is almost impossible to sharpen with the same angle every time on a steel, so the edge gradually gets rounded shape, which gives adverse effects on edge retention.

If you want to take the full advantage of good knives, meaning not only good sharpness at a time but long lasting sharpness, please consider using flat whetstones for knives, regardless of Japanese, Western or Chinese knives.

Video: How to use sharpening stone