Spyderco BenchStone Sharpening Stone - Ultra Fine Grit, Alumina Ceramic Material, 8"x2" with Polymer Case - Professional Grade Tool Sharpener - Model 302UF

I own the Spyderco Medium Bench Stone,the Spyderco Fine Bench Stone, &the Spyderco Ultra-Fine Bench Stone.This will be my fourth or fifth edit, and hopefully, last edit...after owning all three several years.Pros:1) Each Will last forever (I've never wavered on this.)2) Not as messy as water or oil stones3) Nice results once I broke them in and started using the edges of the Medium to speed things up. In this way, the Medium is like two stones in one. Using the edges allows a much higher force per area [I got the idea from a Spyderco video on the use of the Spyderco sharpmaker.] It sets the bevel quickly...then I can use the flat sides, finer stones...and a strop. Probably I was never patient enough using only the flat sides.Speaking of "flat" I should say that I was FAR TOO concerned with making the stones perfectly flat. I attacked them with diamond stones and then rubbed the ceramic stones against one another for hours--I did make them flat but I also made the Medium and Fine smoother and SLOWER. If I had it to do over I would break them in with an AXE or a super dull knife. A piece of good news here is that on the edges I achieve such a force per area during knife sharpening that I do expose new material and those surfaces are nice and rough (remember I only use edges on the "Medium" stone.Cons:If you want perfectly flat you will be disappointed:My Medium was bowed quite a bit.The Fine, Was clearly not flat (bowed), and the edges of mine were higher than the center.I see no reason to own the Fine AND UF--because they are (grit wise) too close--I'd say Choose One.Some people complain about the tool marks on the UF. My stone did display such marks when used--like when one takes a notepad and goes over the entirety of the top sheet w/ a pencil and indentations become apparent from writing that was done on previous top sheets. Those marks didn't bother me; It also came w/ something like a boulder on a runway--but I've now been over all my ceramic stones w/ a diamond stone so these features no longer exist...and in the case of the UF I will never complain that I made it too smooth--that's a complaint I only have with regard to the Medium Stone.

These Sypderco ceramic stones are fantastic. You can use them wet or dry. These stones stay dead flat. I've used mine for about 3 years now and loved them. NOTE: These stones are extremely fine. These stones are going to be best at polishing your edge. If you need to repair a damaged edge or remove a lot of material from your blade, These are not the stones you want. These stones remove material extremely slowly because they're so fine. But they will put a mirror polish on your blade.

I'm on my second set of the Fine and Extra Fine stones after my first set went missing. I've sharpened thousands of blades with these in a commercial setting and they don't dish out or otherwise fail to consistently perform.If you're using these for precision work (sashimi knives, surgical instruments, chisels, etc) they do require you to flatten them as they come from the factory. Both sets showed tooling marks with otherwise minor low/high spots on both sides- the extra fine stone was most noticeable.It took about 30 minutes of work for each stone with a diamond plate under running water to get them trued up, but now they're ready to put in some work. Once you get these stones set up properly they will last their owner a lifetime.

These Spyderco stones are great. I have all three, medium, fine, and ultra fine. I would say they are best for experienced sharpeners though. None of them are particularly aggressive so you can get frustrated trying to bring back a very dull knife. You will want to add something more aggressive to your kit. Do your homework, don't just randomly buy these because you want a 'good' sharpener and don't know where to start. Depending on the steel and the degree of LIGHT pressure that you use, they could load up quickly and stop cutting efficiently. I clean mine with a scouring powder before each use. You can read for weeks on sharpening and get hundreds of opinions on what is 'best'. My main kit includes four dmt diamond stones, x course, course, fine, and x fine. Between those and the Spydercos, I am covered for everything I might need. The Spyderco medium is said to be similar to the dmt x fine. I find it slightly more fine. Maybe they cut similarly, but the Spyderco leaves me with a smoother edge. Some feel the dmt xfine and Spyderco brown are redundant, I don't. Some find the fine and medium too similar, I don't, but I understand their thoughts and experiences. Some prefer the ultra fine over the fine. I only use the ultra for special jobs, others use it routinely. Do your homework, these are good stones, but you need to understand where they fit in a more complete sharpening routine and there are different paths to a great edge.

Use this 5,000 grit, quality ceramic honing stone properly, in conjunction with high quality steel edges, and it will provide you with a lifetime of hair-popping, razor-sharp edges. Awesome product!