Shapton K0707 Blade Blade, #1500, Medium, Blue

These are some of the very best stones I have ever used, whether you are a beginner or advanced in your sharpening skills these stones are top of the line and very forgiving to beginners, the way the blade glides across the surface you can immediately tell your angle is off at all because the tactile feedback is so nice on them, they are just very intuitive stones I highly recommend them if you get the full set and take proper care of them by using a nagaru stone and lapping as needed they will last a life time and can probably be passed down to your kids, they are extremely hard and will sharpen ANY STEEL with ease. For only around 40$ per stone, (till you start getting into the really high grit polishing stones), they are worth double or triple that easily.

I ordered an inexpensive starter kit that had the 400/1000 and 3000/8000 grit combo stones along with some decent accessories to get started. After one week I went ahead and ordered this Shapton Kuromaku 1500 and I feel it's really worth the money and a big improvement over the budget stones. The budget stones would get an edge nearly sharp and following up with a leather strop with compound would provide a shaving edge but with this Shapton I can get a shaving edge right off the stone but still believe it's beneficial to follow up on a leather strop.I can't speak for longevity or from much experience with this stone vs other quality whetstones but I can say it put a smile on my face with a satisfaction that the budget stones didn't provide.I'm a happy customer with my new purchase of this Shapton Kuromaku 1500.

She eats, i would almost argue using this over a 1000

This 1500 grit stone is for those who are looking for a step-up from the usual assortment of 1000/6000 grit combination stones, and really is intended for more experienced users. The Shapton Ceramic Stones are not meant to be soaked in water or used with too much pressure, and are generally best used by people who've mastered the more common waterstones. I use this Shapton 1500, the Shapton 5000 and the Shapton 8000 grit ceramic stones to give my knives a keen edge every few weeks. They are expensive, but properly cared for will probably last decades - as long as you are competent with their use - which means ---1. Use a Nagura stone to pre-treat the ceramic surface and prevent metal build-up on the surface.2. Do not use them to re-shape the blade, that's what diamond abrasive plates are for - they are harder than cheap waterstones but will still wear out or develop grooves if used roughly.3. Regularly keep them flat with a flattening stone.in terms of grit, it's finer than the usual 1000/1200 grit stones and much rougher than 6000 grit - as expected of a stone that's part of a series of progressively finer grit stones. It really excels as a starting stage for knives that have no chipped edges or other damage, and an otherwise sound edge geometry - Don't use this to change the cutting edge angle - it's at it's best when used to set the stage to achieve a very smooth mirror finish.

This is my go-to stone! As an amateur at freehand sharpening and this one just feels right. It’s aggressive when you need it to be, yet versatile enough to refine and get blades razor-sharp—sharper than I’ll probably ever need. It’s become an essential part of my sharpening setup!

A bit difficult to learn but work real nice

New to sharpening, but easy to use with a little bit of practice. Made my 10-year-old Wusthof knives feel like brand new.

Good intermediate stone with a nice smooth feel and solid construction. Worth it if you can get one for below $40.