The right whetstone for the knife that's been quietly going dull for a while. If your knife struggles with a tomato, slides off the skin of a capsicum, or needs sawing pressure to cut through onion, it's well past the point a fine stone can fix on its own. You need to remove material first, then refine the new edge — and that's exactly what this stone is built for.

The 400-grit side is the workhorse. It cuts steel quickly, removing the worn or chipped section of the bevel and re-establishing a fresh, sharp edge. The 1000-grit side then smooths and finishes that new edge, taking out the coarser scratch pattern and bringing the knife back to proper cutting condition.

For most home cooks, this stone gets pulled out once or twice a year on each well-used knife — when the edge is genuinely dull rather than just slightly off. For everyday touch-ups on a knife that's still in decent shape, step up to the Shun 1000/6000 grit whetstone instead, which refines an existing edge rather than rebuilding it. Many serious cooks own both, working through coarse to fine across both stones for a fully restored edge.

Soak the stone thoroughly in water before use, and use it with water only — never oil. Comes with a rubber tray to hold it steady on the bench during sharpening.

Stone dimensions: 186mm x 65mm x 32mm.

Suitable for Japanese-style knives including Shun, Seki Magoroku, and other quality stainless or carbon steel blades. Not recommended for serrated knives or ceramic blades.