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Product Description
Great for quick access on the go, RH Preyda pocket stones are the ultimate companion for avid outdoorsmen. Each stone is made from 100-percent natural Arkansas stone and comes with its own leather pouch Read More
https://www.danswhetstone.com/information/stone-grades-101/
The link, above, is for a Hard stone, in the color white. Depending on RH Preyda's grading table, that could either be in the 800-1000 grit range (2.3-2.45 specific gravity, hard stone), or in the True Hard, 1200+ grit range (>2.5 specific gravity). Either way, it'd be fine for anything short of razors or very fine kitchen knives. Even then, if you reduce pressure as you sharpen, you'll probably be okay.
Arkansas stones are graded by density. The link's got a bunch of info, as well as a table with relative grit.
Even within a category, individual stones perform a little differently.
I use a soft stone, a hard stone, and a hard black (some folks will call them "surgical") stone. I've sharpened everything from homemade knives, to straight razors on them. The hard black works fine for honing razors.
Color doesn't matter, per-se. What matters is the relative density of the stone.
I always use oil on my stones, for a couple reasons.
1. The primary reason is that you need some kind of lubricant on Arkansas stones. If you don't use anything, the metal shavings get ground into the stone and it won't cut after a while. Lubricant doesn't completely prevent this, but it cuts down on it by a great deal. You can fix this by scrubbing or boiling the stones, but I'd rather avoid it in the first place.
2. Oil is fairly viscose; it stays on the stone without evaporating. Water works, but it's not ideal. Water is not a very viscose fluid, and it won't stay on the stone like oil will.
3. More subjectively, I like how it feels using oil vs dry or with water. It gives it a much smoother feel with better feedback imo
A few questions before I take the plunge:
When would I need/want to use a translucent honing stone?
What are the advantages of honing oil over common oils such as 3-in-one?
What other care will the stones require for optimal longevity?
LeadingEdgeSpeaking as somebody who actually does use a translucent Arkansas stone, I really don't think the average person needs one. Translucent stones are finishing stones to give a truely mirror finish. Unless you're super finicky about your edges or are sharpening something like a straight razor(the reason I got one), a hard black is about all you need.
That having been said, I really like the edge mine gives me, and use it on all my knives.
It should be noted that if you're looking to sharpen higher end steels like S35, Arkansas stones will work but they cut very slowly. I highly recommend a diamond stone for those. For steels like S110V, I don't think Arkansas will work at all.
Just received the stones. Is it normal to have slight chips in some corners? My soft stone has a chip that results in a visible radiating crack, the translucent is much better however!
EtrnlzPhnxPretty normal, in my experience, buying stones and having them shipped. Doesn't affect use, unless you're dragging something super-fine like a razor over it.
As long as the (long) edges are either true square, or rounded, with no chips, you're fine.
Massdrop was supposed to save us money!
In this deal I'll save $0,01 over the MSRP ,wait two months to get it and pay ridiculous S+H !!!
Why bother with Massdrop?????
I'm just giving my opinion!
The longer I'm on Massdrop ,the more I like Amazon etc, but I want to give Massdrop a fair chance and like everybody on here ,we want a good deal or Massdrop will be history and that is not what I want!
I give my honest opinions to help improve Massdrop!
There is a lot of improvement possible and needed to be competitive in this brutal business!
JacobusThing is you are not just giving constructive critism. You stated how much better you like Azazon. As someone else indicated you do not have to join if you feel there is no or little value. IMO you should always measure the value with the final drop price. That's the whole point of committing vs. joining. If you had simply come in and stated you don't see the point of spending $1 less on this deal then what is MSRP you would find less would have objected to your comment.
Just got these stones. I was amazed at how much easier and quickly I was able to sharpen my favorite pocket knife (Kershaw Skyline) to a fine polished edge going from hard black to surgical black to translucent. Nice polished edge in about 10 minutes across all 3 stones. Seemed a lot easier to handle compared to my large bench sized japanese water stones.
I also grew up in Arkansas, so it's nice having a little piece of it with me.
i'm thinking of buying all of these stones seeing as my pocket stone is getting a bowl shape. But i don't know if it's worth it, i always have a leather belt and if i'm bushcrafting i have two knifes so i can sharpen one with the other... Worth it?
AranshadaI must of had different taste back then, don't really like the look of this anymore, thank you regardless it's very flattering that you would remember. I'm more a fan of a boker or a spydacro now.
Can I use only the Surgical black Arkansas to maintain my pocket knives or do I have to go from Hard black Arkansas -> Surgical black Arkansas. I like my knives sharp.
SnapMuffin
Jul 15, 2017
Darc-CharlieIt would actually be best if you started with the Hard Arkansas if your knives get a good amount of use. Once they start to feel dull, you'll need something around that grit to get them sharp enough to use a finer grit like the Hard Black on. This will save you a lot of time if you want to maintain a sharp edge. If you started with the Hard Black, or the Surgical Black even, it would take you forever to get anything sharp that already starts to feel dull.