King #800 Japanese Sharpening Stone

(2 customer reviews)

The 800 grit King whetstone is a sharpening stone that offers a medium level of abrasiveness. It is commonly used in the process of sharpening blades, knives, and other cutting tools. The term “800 grit” refers to the size of the abrasive particles embedded in the stone’s surface.

Key features:

  • Restore a dull edge to a sharp one and put a mirror polish on the back and bevel
  • An excellent way of owning two stones with different grits
  • Made up of abrasive particles held together in a soft bonding compound
  • Consists of aluminium oxide, carbide and nitride particles fused together
  • Soft bonding clay releases the abrasives very easily when the stone is soaked
  • #800 grit measures (L) 8″ x (W) 2 5/8″ x (H) 1 1/4″
  • Made in Japan

Product Description

The King HT-65 PRO 1000/6000

The 800 grit King whetstone is a sharpening stone that offers a medium level of abrasiveness. It is commonly used in the process of sharpening blades, knives, and other cutting tools. The term “800 grit” refers to the size of the abrasive particles embedded in the stone’s surface.

With its medium grit, the 800 grit King whetstone is versatile and suitable for various sharpening tasks. It effectively removes moderate levels of material from the blade, helping to restore the cutting edge to its optimal sharpness. This grit level is often used after initial coarse sharpening to refine the edge further or as a starting point for moderately dull blades.

Using the 800 grit King whetstone involves wetting the stone with water and then running the blade across its surface at an appropriate angle, applying consistent pressure. The sharpening process gradually removes small amounts of metal from the blade, creating a new, sharper edge. It is important to maintain a steady and controlled motion while sharpening to ensure consistent results.

The 800 grit King whetstone provides a balance between material removal and edge refinement. It is an essential tool for individuals who regularly maintain their cutting tools and desire a sharp and efficient cutting edge. By regularly sharpening with this whetstone, you can extend the lifespan and performance of your blades, allowing for cleaner cuts and enhanced cutting precision.

Note that the 800 grit King whetstone is just one option among various grit levels available. Depending on the condition of the blade and the desired sharpness, you may need to use additional finer grit stones to achieve a polished and razor-sharp edge.

Japanese Whetstones

Unlike other synthetic sharpening stones which consist of a single abrading agent, these Japanese water stones consist of aluminium oxide, carbide and nitride particles fused together. This blend is then mixed with a clay like bonder and baked at high temperatures to form the sharpening stone. The resultant stone is soft but sharpens very quickly. The soft bonding clay allows the abrasive particles to release very easily when the stone is soaked in water. This gives the user a constant supply of fresh cutting surfaces with which to grind, sharpen and hone their tools.

Now favoured by many professionals and sporadic users over the natural stones, when you purchase a synthetic Japanese sharpening stone you are guaranteed a stone with a uniform grit size that will produce consistent, high quality results when sharpening and will not vary in quality from stone to stone.

Made in Japan

The Spec

Maker

Matsunaga King

Good to know

Do my knives require special care?

Our knives are extremely durable and easy to care for. However, any knife, even a premium one needs sharpening at some point. As a good habit, you should sharpen them regularly and dry them immediately after use. These are 3 general rules you should follow:

  1. Don’t put your knife in a dishwasher.
  2. Store your knives either on the magnetic knife strip, knife stand, or sheathed in the utensil drawer.
  3. Don’t slide your knife, blade down, across the cutting board to clear away what you just chopped.

Also, check our full guide on how to properly maintain the knife and sharpen it.

 
 

How can I make sure my knife stay always sharp?

This really depends on how often you use the knife, how you care for it and what items you’re cutting. In general, Japanese knives tend to hold their edge longer than Western knives. In other words, Japanese knives stay sharper longer than their Western counterparts. When tested, Sakai Kyuba knives outperformed brands that cost much more. We estimate that for a person cooking 5 times a week, Sakai Kyuba knives will stay sharp for around 4-8 months. However, no knife — including ours — will stay sharp forever. Which is why we provide a variety of sharpening stones, so when the blade starts to dull, you can sharpen it easily at your home in 5-10 minutes. Otherwise, check out our recommended trusted knife sharpening services.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

There are countless ways of testing knives and tools for sharpness. We believe the easiest way to test sharpness is to use the knife on ingredients of daily with easy structure (one, which does not have a bone e.g.). If it does not cut fast and cleanly, it needs sharpening. The knife should be able to cut vegetables with almost no downward pressure. On a fillet or skinning knife, it should be able to cut very quickly without having to saw through the meat.

If you really want to get down to fine-tuned levels of sharpness there are a few more tests you can use. Our favourite is to take a piece of paper and hold it vertically. Although, we admit, we also love to see and do the fruit ninja test 🙂

  • Slicing paper
  • Slicing magazine or phone book paper
  • Shaving sharp
  • Fingernail trick
  • Slicing an onion

Read more on how to do those tests here. 

Japanese whetstones (also called water stones) – both natural and synthetic – are known for their quick-working qualities, not only for Japanese blades, but also for their Western equivalents. The small particles that do the cutting are loosely bound together in the stone, and so during sharpening with the whetstone, the surface particles are quickly washed out, allowing new, sharp, particles to start working on the blade. These whetstones must be lubricated only with water! Never use oil or other lubricants!

Whetstones come in a range of grits:

  • Less than 1000 grit is typically used to repair knives with chipped edges,
  • 1000 to 3000 grit are used to sharpen dull knives,
  • 4000 to 8000 grit are finishing stones and are used to refine your knife edge.

If you are using your knife to cut meat it is best to stop at between #4000 and #6000 grit as you can bend your knife edge on the muscle.

For rough sharpening – to grind off chips in the edge or for when the blade is unusually dull – stones from #120 to #400 grain are called for. We recommend stones with a grain between #120 and #240 in this case.

For normal sharpening, stones between #700 and #2000 grain are used. We recommend stones between #700 and #1200 grain.

To take off the fine scratches and the burr left by coarser stones, and polish the surface, one can use stones starting around 2000 grain. Above that there is theoretically no upper limit, but at the same time stones above about #10000 provide no measurable practical improvement in the edge. It is also interesting to note that above #8000 grit, there is no Japanese measurement standard. With all the stones labelled as having a finer grit, one simply has to take the manufacturer’s word for it.

For those who have reasonable experience with sharpening, we recommend a finish stone of 8000 grit. If one is not certain, or for beginners, stones with a grit between #3000 and #6000 will produce acceptable results.

So, in principle one needs at least three stones if one has to do significant amounts of sharpening. One to grind, one to sharpen and one to hone.

For someone who sharpens blades only occasionally, and knows that they will not need to grind out a chip in the edge of the blade, for instance, a combination stone will suffice. The size that one chooses depends mostly on a trade off between cost and speed. The bigger the stone, the faster one can work. The smaller stones work just as well, they just take a little more time.

Coarse stones number of less than #1000:

With a number less than a 1000 is primarily used for knives which are damaged. If your blade has any nicks or chips in the blade, then these stones will get rid of those for you in no time.

The above dual stones come with a coarse side for fixing nicks and chips and medium side for general sharpening.

If your knives have also completely lost their edge then these stones will also get it back for you. These whetstones are brilliant for damaged or extremely dull knives, but due to their abrasiveness they shouldn’t be used for general sharpening as they don’t leave the best finish on your blade edge.

Medium stones number range: #1000 to #3000

The #1000 grit stone is considered your basic, go to, sharpening stone. If your knives have lost their edge and need a good sharpen, then this is the grit you should start with.

You shouldn’t use this stone often, as it will wear your knife down. The #2000 and #3000 grit stones can be used more often if you are the sort of person who likes to sharpen a bit more regularly as they are less coarse, but again, they are designed for sharpening and not maintaining your edge.Once you get into a routine, you will get to know how often you need to use your medium stone.

NOTE: A little bit of advice we were given by a Chef; a #3000 grit whetstone is ideal for a boning knife and you don’t need to go any higher as refining your edge more will bend the knife on the muscle and sinew of the meat, meaning more frequent sharpening.

There are 3 fundamentals in knife sharpening

  1. Read your knife: first, you need to analyse and feel the blade. Is it sharp? Does it have nicks? What is the condition of the edge? You can even change the angle ratio of your knife once you can read your knife. For example, you can sharpen a double bevel knife with a 50/50 angle ratio to 60/40 or 70/30 to obtain something more similar to a Japanese style knife.
  2. Keep your stone flat: when the stone is concave it is hard to control the arc of the knife. Many people undermine the importance of using a stone fixer to flatten out the surface of whetstones.
  3. Use a stable surface: the stone should not budge while you sharpen.

Read here for full step by step instruction on how to sharpen your knife well. 

You need to sharpen them regularly and depending on the type of steel, dry them immediately after use. These are 3 general rules you should follow:

  1. Don’t put your knife in a dishwasher, ever.
  2. Store your knives either on the magnetic knife strip knife stand, or sheathed in the utensil drawer.
  3. Don’t slide your knife, blade down, across the cutting board to clear away what you just chopped.

Also, check our full guide how to properly maintain the knife and sharpen it. Otherwise have a look at the “Equipment care” section of our Journal. 

It depends on the steel you’ll go for. Like most equipment, knives need a little love and care. Here are a few tips to help you get lasting service from your knife:

  • Keep your knife dry – the entire knife, not just the blade.
  • Keep your knife sharp. Remember, a sharp blade is safer than a dull one. Use only professional sharpening tools and whetstones.
  • Do not use the cutting blade as a can opener, chisel, pry bar, screwdriver or for any heavy work for which your knife was not designed. Also, don’t use the back of your knife as a hammer. It may break the springs, handles or pin.
  • Handles made of wood can be occasionally rubbed with furniture polish or oil. Brass can be polished with household brass polish.
  • Avoid prolonged immersion in liquids (water, solvents, etc.). This can have a detrimental effect on not only the metal parts, but handles made of wood or other porous materials as well. Before using your knife on food items, wipe clean with alcohol, or wash with hot soapy water and rinse clean. Remember to re-clean and lubricate your knife after the food job is done.
  • Periodically apply a small amount of lubricant to the working parts of the knife, particularly the pivot points of a folding knife. Then apply a thin film of lubricant to the entire surface of the blade. This will help prevent surface oxidation and corrosion from moisture.
  • Sharpen your knives using high-quality sharpening tools such as natural stones or whetstones. 
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