NANIWA Chosera SS-1000 Ceramic Whetstone - #1000, with Base, Made in Japan
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OVERVIEW
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Water softens the bond, and fresh abrasive rises to the surface.
That sentence describes how this stone works and why it does not glaze. As
you sharpen, water breaks down the bonding matrix at the surface just enough
to release spent abrasive and expose new cutting edges - continuously, as
you work.
Naniwa's own description of the result: no clogging, no glazing, high
cutting power, and none of the slipping that a stone gives when its surface
has polished over.
Anyone who has had a stone stop cutting halfway through a knife knows what
that is worth.
The specific claim Naniwa make: this stone sharpens hardened steels that
conventional Japanese synthetic stones struggle with - they name Aogami #2,
Blue Steel, by name - more quickly and to a better edge.
If you own Japanese knives in Blue or White steel at 62 HRC and above, or
powder metallurgy steels, that is the problem this stone exists to solve.
The stone is 25 mm thick. Not 15, not 20 - 25 mm of usable material on a
210 x 70 mm face, which is a wide surface and a long working life.
It is bonded to a base, permanently. That gives you height off the bench,
stability, and the correct working position without a separate holder.
A dressing stone is included - 65 x 47 x 32 mm - for flattening the stone
when it dishes. Flattening stones are usually a separate purchase.
And it does not need soaking. Wet the surface and start.
Naniwa's manual describes the design intent: their own bonding technology,
developed to balance the five properties that matter in a sharpening stone -
abrasive density, cutting power, hardness, flatness retention, and heat
absorption.
Fused alumina abrasive. #1000, which is the grit most sharpening actually
happens at.
Made in Japan.
Note: not for ceramic knives - see below.
[REQUIRES VERIFICATION BEFORE LISTING - confirm and state:
1. Whether the international name for this line is
"Chosera" or "Professional" - Naniwa have used
both, and buyers search by those names rather
than by the Japanese product name.
2. Base material and packed dimensions.
3. Whether an English instruction sheet is
included.]
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SPECIFICATIONS
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Brand / Manufacturer : NANIWA ABRASIVE MFG. CO.
(Ebi brand, Japan)
Model : SS-1000
Product : Honshoku Cho-Ceramics
whetstone with base
Grit : #1000 (medium)
Stone dimensions : 210 x 70 x 25 mm
Abrasive : Fused alumina
Weight : approx. 1.1 kg
(including base)
Base : Included, bonded to the
stone
Dressing stone : Included, 65 x 47 x 32 mm
Soaking : NOT required - wet the
surface and use
Country of origin : JAPAN
NOT SUITABLE FOR
Ceramic knives
(Naniwa specify their Ebi diamond stones
for these)
Other grits in this range (not this listing)
SS-400 #400 approx. 10,863 yen
SS-600 #600 approx. 11,357 yen
SS-800 #800 approx. 12,623 yen
SS-1000 #1000 approx. 13,876 yen
SS-2000 #2000 approx. 15,634 yen
SS-3000 #3000 approx. 21,433 yen
SS-5000 #5000 approx. 27,737 yen
[REQUIRES VERIFICATION BEFORE LISTING - international
product name, base material, and packed dimensions must
be confirmed and stated here.]
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KEY FEATURES
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- The bond softens with water, continuously exposing fresh abrasive - no
clogging, no glazing, no slipping
- Sharpens hardened steels that conventional Japanese synthetic stones
struggle with, including Aogami #2
- 25 mm of stone on a 210 x 70 mm face - a wide surface and a long life
- Permanently bonded base: height, stability, and no separate holder needed
- Dressing stone included for flattening
- No soaking - wet the surface and start
- Fused alumina, #1000
- Made in Japan
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APPLICATIONS
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Sharpening Japanese and Western kitchen knives, chisels, plane irons,
scissors, and precision blades. #1000 is the primary sharpening grit -
where an edge is actually created.
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IMPORTANT NOTES FOR INTERNATIONAL BUYERS
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NOT FOR CERAMIC KNIVES
Naniwa state this explicitly.
Ceramic knife blades are harder than aluminium oxide abrasive. Attempting to
sharpen one on this stone will not work and will damage the stone.
Ceramic knives require diamond abrasive. Naniwa make diamond stones for that
purpose.
#1000 IS WHERE SHARPENING HAPPENS
If you are choosing a single stone, this is the grit to choose.
#400-600 Repairing chips, reshaping bevels,
restoring neglected edges
#1000 Sharpening. Creating the edge.
#2000-3000 Refining
#5000+ Polishing
A knife sharpened only on #1000 is properly sharp and will cut anything in a
kitchen. Finer grits refine the edge and change how it feels and how long it
lasts, but #1000 is where the edge is made.
Most people who own three stones own something around #400, this, and
something around #3000.
WHY IT SHARPENS HARD STEEL - AND WHY THAT MATTERS
Naniwa specifically name Aogami #2 (Blue Steel #2) as a steel that
conventional Japanese synthetic stones handle poorly.
Here is why. Hard, high-carbon and high-alloy steels resist abrasion - that
is what makes them hold an edge. A stone whose abrasive is not aggressive
enough simply polishes the steel rather than cutting it, and a stone that
glazes stops working entirely.
This stone's bond releases fresh abrasive continuously as you work, so it
keeps cutting rather than polishing.
If you own Japanese knives in Blue Steel, White Steel, SG2/R2, or any
powder metallurgy steel at 62 HRC or above, and you have found stones that
work on softer knives frustrating on these - that is the problem.
NO SOAKING - SPLASH AND GO
Traditional waterstones need ten to twenty minutes in water before use.
This one does not. Wet the surface, and start. Keep it wet while working - a
spray bottle is ideal.
That means you sharpen when a knife needs it, rather than when you
remembered to soak a stone twenty minutes ago.
Do not store it in water. It does not need it, and stones stored wet can
crack if frozen.
25 mm THICK - IT WILL OUTLAST MOST OF WHAT YOU SHARPEN
Whetstones are consumed as they work. Thickness is working life.
Many stones are 15 to 20 mm. This is 25 mm of usable material on a 210 x 70
mm face, which is a wide bench area as well.
At household use, that is decades. At professional use, years.
THE BASE IS PERMANENT - AND THAT IS DELIBERATE
The stone is bonded to its base rather than sitting in a holder.
That gives you working height off the bench without a separate stand, and
absolute stability - a stone that slides while you are sharpening produces
uneven bevels and cut fingers.
Note this means you cannot flip the stone over and use the other face, which
some unmounted stones allow. The 25 mm of material is one working surface.
Place the base on a damp cloth or a non-slip mat on the bench.
USE THE DRESSING STONE - FLATNESS IS EVERYTHING
Every whetstone dishes with use. The centre wears faster than the edges,
because that is where you sharpen.
A dished stone produces a curved bevel and a knife that will not cut
cleanly, and the dishing happens gradually enough that you do not notice
until the results get worse.
The included dressing stone flattens it. Use it regularly - a light dressing
often is better than a heavy one rarely.
Most manufacturers sell flattening stones separately. Naniwa include one.
HOW TO USE THE DRESSING STONE
Wet both stones. Rub the dressing stone over the whetstone's surface in
circles or figure-of-eight, applying moderate pressure, until the surface is
uniform.
A pencil grid drawn on the whetstone before dressing shows you when it is
flat - dress until every pencil line has gone.
STORE IT DRY
Wipe the stone after use, let it dry, and store it somewhere that does not
freeze.
The stone does not need to be kept wet, and should not be.
IT WILL BREAK IF YOU DROP IT
A bonded abrasive stone is brittle. Dropped on a hard floor, it breaks.
This item is packed accordingly. Please unpack carefully, and inspect the
stone and base before use.
NANIWA
Naniwa Abrasive Manufacturing have made sharpening stones in Japan since
1950, under the Ebi (shrimp) brand.
Internationally, their professional ceramic range is among the most
recommended synthetic stones available, alongside Shapton - and the
splash-and-go characteristic is consistently why.
Made in Japan.
NO ELECTRONICS
This is a bonded abrasive stone on a base. It contains no battery, no
electronics, and no wireless components, so there are no voltage, plug,
certification, or power compatibility concerns of any kind.
KNIVES NOT INCLUDED
This listing is for the whetstone with its base and the dressing stone.
JAPANESE PACKAGING
Japanese retail packaging with Japanese instructions. A whetstone requires no
instructions beyond keeping the surface wet and the stone flat.
SHIPPED FROM JAPAN
Dispatched from Tokyo with tracking, packed to protect the stone from
impact.