The Suehiro Rika line of stones is one of the best among mid-range whetstones. We are talking about medium hard stones, which quickly create a paste during sharpening - the resulting grains, newly produced on the surface of the stone, contribute to the speed with which the knives are sharpened. As they form this paste faster, these stones also wear out a little faster during the process of sharpening, so they will need to be flattened more often. They do not need to be soaked in water for a long time and can be used to sharpen any kind of steel. 

The Suehiro Rika #5000 sharpening stone sharpens knives effectively and quickly by creating a paste, that eases achieving an even edge. Excellent finishing stone for burr removal and polishing. We recommend using a leather strop to continue the process.

We tested this stone on the ZDP-189 Honyaki Yanagiba, which is very demanding for sharpening. The result? The stone passed the test with flying colors! This stone also enhances the contrast between Hagane and Jigane and is therefore suitable for working on kasumi finishes. It will excel at sharpening single-sided knives and grinding, but can, naturally, be used for normal sharpening.

Soak for at least 5 minutes before use. As the stone wears out faster, regular flattening is essential. We recommend Atoma diamond sharpening stone 140 or Naniwa flattening stone.

This whetstone comes with a non-slip base stand for safer sharpening, preventing the stone from moving around. Also included is a Nagura stone (dressing stone), a harder, smaller stone to clean steel particles from the stone surface while creating a paste. 

Whetstone size: 206×73×23mm
Weight: 900g
Package Size: 256×90×55mm
Stone series: Rika