Should I get a soaking stone or should I get a splash-and-go stone? It's a question we get asked very often. Here's how to make your choice.
The Trusty Soaking Stone
The trusty soaking stone is a beginner-friendly, budget-friendly stone for people just getting into their knife sharpening. It's very forgiving on your knife edges, but it does come at the cost of being a slightly softer stone than the splash-and-go. It will wear out just a little bit quicker and will need regular flattening.
But if you're just getting started, a budget-friendly combination soaking stone like the Suehiro Rika 1000 and 3000 will get you well on your way for comparatively little cost.
The Splash-and-Go Stone
Now the splash-and-go stones, like the Naniwa Chosera, often come in a single grit. This is the 800 grit. There's not a lot of splash-and-go stones that come in the combination. So whilst they do lack a little bit of versatility in that regard, splash-and-go stones have the advantage of being usually a much firmer stone, which means better sharpening feel and a much longer-lasting stone.
Matching Stone to Steel
The splash-and-go stones, being harder, are generally better suited to the harder knife steels like the SG2s and the carbon steels. Whereas something like the Suehiro Rika is more suited to the entry-level steels like VG10, AUS-8, AUS-10, and MV steel.
How to Choose
So if you're just getting started and you're on a budget, combination soaking stones are for you. And if you're getting a little more into your sharpening and you have some more expensive knives, look for the splash-and-go stones. There'll be a little more to spend initially, but the value, performance, and longevity is well worth it.
