King NEO #800 Knife Sharpening Stone ST-3

Specifications

Material: Synthetic stone
Grit: 800 (Coarse)
Dimensions: 220x80x70mm (8.66" x 3.15" x 2.75")
Weight: 5.06 lbs (2,296 g)
Type: Splash-and-go

King NEO is a splash-and-go 800 grit stone from Matsunaga Stone Co. that is specifically formulated for stainless steel. Despite its designation as the stainless stone we've found it to be effective on a wide variety of steels including simple and more complex carbon as well as stainless including but not limited to White 1 and 2, Blue 1, 2 and Super, R2, ZDP-189 and HAP40. This stone almost feels like a soft medium-grit natural stone in use, similar to an Aoto. This stone wears a little faster compared to some other splash-and-go choices such as Shapton or Suehiro Debado SNE but slower than most soaking stones. Sharpening hardened steel alone yields very little mud while incorporating soft cladding/thinning into the sharpening will readily yield a medium-thickness mud with moderate pressure.