stones grid for Edge pro

[AlexZin]

Hi Guys,

I have Edge Pro system with the following stones:
Shapton Pro 320 Grit Stone (Blue)
Shapton Pro 1,000 Grit Stone (Yellow)
Shapton Pro 8,000 Grit Stone (Green)
CKTG 140 Grit Diamond Plate

Would you recommend to add any additional stone to the above set to improve sharpening performance/quality ?

Thanks for your input, Alex

[Santas_101]

Hey Alex,

I’d recommend the Atoma diamond plate lineup for harder steels or the edge pro diamond matrix stones (which I prefer). I’d get a Shapton glass 4K stone as well. 1k to 8k is too big of a jump in my opinion. It won’t remove the scratches a 1k stone makes like a 4K stone would. I generally prefer the Shapton glass stones over the Shapton pros. I’d also get a kangaroo strop with some diamond emulsion. It will take your edge to the next level.

[AlexZin]

Hey Alex,

I’d recommend the Atoma diamond plate lineup for harder steels or the edge pro diamond matrix stones (which I prefer). I’d get a Shapton glass 4K stone as well. 1k to 8k is too big of a jump in my opinion. It won’t remove the scratches a 1k stone makes like a 4K stone would. I generally prefer the Shapton glass stones over the Shapton pros. I’d also get a kangaroo strop with some diamond emulsion. It will take your edge to the next level.

Thank you Santas,

I already have a CKTG 140 Grit Diamond Plate for harder steels and for repair works. Do I need another one ?
I also was thinking to add a Shapton 4K. Is the grid for Shapton glass similar to Shapton pros ?
I am new to stropping. Why do you recommend kangaroo strop but not bovine strop? What is the difference between these two ?
I read few reviews that diamond spray does not do the job and eventually its better to strop on leather without any emulsion.

[Jeff B]

4k is an excellent edge for general purpose kitchen tasks. Shapton Glass and Shapton Pro are very similar in grit but there is no 4k in the Pro of course.
I'm a big fan of stropping on bare leather as a final step I don't care if it is steer, bovine or kangaroo, they all work well. Some prefer Kangaroo because it is somewhat thin and firm compared to others.

[AlexZin]

Thank you Jeff and Santos, thanks a lot for yr input and advice !

[Radar53]

Hi there AZ and welcome to the forum.

Like others I think that a 4k stone wouldn't go amiss. In this rabbit hole stones are like knives in that you always have to try another one

In terms of strops I have quite a collection specifically for the EdgePro, but I pretty much don't use them any more. Whether I sharpen freehand or on the EP I now always strop on full sized bench strops.

I don't think that you need to go overboard with strops, at least to start with. I use newsprint a lot, just on a flat piece of 3X1 piece of board. For me this covers off most of the final edge cleanup once I've finished sharpening with the stones. For my better knives and finer edges, I will follow that up with rough & smooth bovine chased by rough & smooth kangaroo (all without compounds & I know that I am the exception with this).

So just start out by dipping your toe in the water & take it from there.

[Santas_101]

The problem with diamond plates is that with harder steels it’s easier for diamond abrasives to wear away. Thus, making them useless. When you use the edge pro diamond matrix stones as they wear down more diamond abrasives are exposed keeping the overall abrasive effectiveness. Shapton glass are pretty similar to the pros , but I like the finish the glass stones leave.

Kangaroo strops are better because the texture is finer. I have always used it with one micron poly diamond emulsion I purchased from the late Ken Schwartz.

[AlexZin]

The problem with diamond plates is that with harder steels it’s easier for diamond abrasives to wear away. Thus, making them useless. When you use the edge pro diamond matrix stones as they wear down more diamond abrasives are exposed keeping the overall abrasive effectiveness. Shapton glass are pretty similar to the pros , but I like the finish the glass stones leave.

Kangaroo strops are better because the texture is finer. I have always used it with one micron poly diamond emulsion I purchased from the late Ken Schwartz.

Thank you Santas!