A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing Sharpening Grits

Unlock the secrets of knife sharpening in this detailed guide on choosing the right grit for your blades. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, understanding grit size-from coarse to ultra-fine-is crucial for achieving a razor-sharp edge. Join Tom from Sharpening Supplies as we dive into everything from the basics of grit progression to advanced techniques using Nano-Hone Super Bite water stones. Discover which grits are best for different types of knives and how to effectively progress through them for optimal sharpness. Don't forget to comment below with your own experiences and subscribe for more insightful sharpening content!
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[@senthemink]

I can see myself changing this up down the line, but for most knives I'll use a dmt magnaguide system with the extra course, coarse, and fine sides before moving onto shapton korumaku 1000, 2000, and 5000, and deburring on the shapton glass 6000 before stropping. Some knives don't work with the magnaguide, so for those I use the atoma 140 diamond plate, and then dmt extra course, course, and fine diamond plates and continue as normal from there.

[@barashkaz]

Here's a possibly hot take: I use my 16k stone as a strop first .. and if my edge isn't perfect from that, has kinks, or leaves streaks on a leather strop, then I take it down to 2k. I haven't touched a lower grit since changing angles. Then 2k > 6k > 16k > leather strop. Honestly can skip 16k but where's the fun in that, though a strop is a must.

[@veetour]

Thanks. Very helpful video.

[@SharpeningSupplies]

You're welcome! Glad you found it useful.

[@craig1825]

At what point would you decide to thin your blade back?. If you sharpen at 15 degrees what angle would you use to thin the blade? Thank you

[@SharpeningSupplies]

When to thin is very subjective. Some folks will thin a new knife, others will never thin a knife. If you're sharpening your knife and getting a good edge, but you feel that the actual in-use cutting performance isn't as good as you'd like, it might be time to thin. As I said, this is a more "advanced" sharpening technique, due to how subjective it is.
As to the angle, you've got two main options. The first is to thin the entire knife. Just lay it flat on the stone and go to work. The other option would be to get everything set up for your usual 15-degree sharpening and then back off a little so the edge isn't touching the stone and you're just grinding the shoulder of the bevel.

[@craig1825]

Thank you

[@davidselby3909]

Hi, I am a butcher what angle do you recommend for a boneing knife because I am having trouble sharpening my knife.

[@SharpeningSupplies]

Around 15 degrees per side is a good place to start for a boning knife. If it's getting damaged during use, you can raise that angle to 20 degrees per side. If 15 degrees holds up during use, you could try going lower.