We Tested the Best Sharpening Stones for Transforming Your Dullest Knives

Our Top Pick

King Whetstone Starter Set

$50 at Amazon View on Oishya.com

The King Whetstone Starter Kit contains the essential tools to keep kitchen knives sharp through years of use. The two-sided stone comes with a plastic base that is stable enough to sit directly on the counter, so there’s no need for a damp towel to prevent sliding. The 1,000-grit texture keeps a knife in good shape and, with bonus passes, lets you realign the rounded edge of a dull blade. Once you reset the knife’s geometry, the 6,000-grit side polishes the edge until it cuts nearly translucent tomato slices.

We used our favorite chef’s knives to test the sharpening stones, and most were a little long for this set, making fluid strokes difficult. Even after the blade’s middle was sharp, the heel and tip needed extra passes for consistent results along the whole edge. Still, just two rounds of strokes created a sharper edge than on any of the other stones we tested. The included angle holder helps keep the slope precise with every pass.

The kit doesn’t contain a flattening stone, so the manufacturer gives instructions for smoothing the surface with waterproof sandpaper. It does include a soft cloth for wiping away grit and metal particles.

The Details: 1,000 and 6,000 grit; dual-sided synthetic water stone with accessories; 2.6 x 1 x 7.3 inches

Best Value

KERYE Japanese Whetstone Sharpener Set

$30 $26 at Amazon

A whetstone forms the core of a sharpening kit, but other tools aid the process. This Kerye set includes all of those pieces: 400- to 8,000-grit water stones, a sturdy bamboo base, an angle guide for precise strokes, cut-resistant gloves for protection, a strop for edge polishing, and a smoothing stone to level the whetstones’ surface.

The whetstones will sharpen almost any kitchen blade, including ones that need lots of metal removed to repair a broken tip or multiple deep nicks (although you may still want to take those to a professional knife sharpener until you get the hang of using stones). In tests, some grits were quite similar despite their labeling, but had no issues transforming knives from dull to supersharp while progressing up the grit scale.

The stones were 2 inches shorter than the chef’s knife we were sharpening, making the angle guide particularly helpful in keeping strokes even. It clips onto the backside of the blade and stays in place the entire time, so the angle stays constant even as you switch between the blade’s sides. Rubber on the base’s bottom and holders that fit into it help prevent the stones from shifting.

The Details: 400, 1,000, 3,000, and 8,000 grit; two dual-sided synthetic water stones with accessories; 2.36 x 1.1 x 7.08 inches

Best for Beginners

KEENBEST Sharpening Stone Kit

$22 at Amazon

If you’re new to using a whetstone, this kit has everything you need to learn how to successfully sharpen your knives. The two double-sided stones have grits ranging from 400 to 8,000 and a strop hones the blade edge, so you can tune up even your dullest blades until they chop carrots with ease. Water stones are soft enough that, over time, a hollow forms down the center. This kit includes a correcting stone to rub down and level out the high points.

One of the biggest challenges when learning to sharpen on a whetstone is maintaining a consistent angle. This set’s angle guide snaps onto the knife’s spine, so you get it right every time. A rubber-backed base and holders keep the stones securely in place as you work. The stones are a bit short for everyday knives but a nice size for smaller blades and scissors. The detailed user guide, complete with diagrams and a how-to video link, gives easy-to-follow instructions for sharpening all of these tools.

The well-made stones feel likely to stand up to extended use but struggle to hold water and the developing slurry. We recommend rewetting the stones often, even after a full soaking.

The Details: 400, 1,000, 3,000, and 8,000 grit; two dual-sided synthetic water stones with accessories; 2.2 x 1.1 x 7 inches

Best Set

Cangshan 7-Piece Kitchen Knife Care & Sharpening Kit

$120 at Amazon View on Cangshancutlery.com

Properly caring for and storing whetstones extends their useful life, so Cangshan’s kit includes a storage case to organize the accessories and protect the stone while it’s packed away. The case holds the water stone and base, angle guide, double-sided strop with polishing compound, cut-resistant gloves, and knife blade oil that, along with the included cleaning cloth, minimizes corrosion after being wiped on the sharpened blade.

The durable stone has 1,000- and 6,000-grit sides to start reshaping a blade and then fine-tuning its cutting edge—and the strop puts on a final polish. The bench stone is a little short to pass under an entire 8-inch chef’s knife in even strokes, with the center of the blade sharpening more quickly than the rest, but giving the tip and heel extra attention improves the balance. The stone fits snugly in the base but the wooden frame tends to slide once wet, so set it on a towel before you start.

The included instructions break down the effects of sharpening, but a how-to guide or video of the movements needed would be helpful. With the correct motions on the stone, a sharpened knife glides through paper and cuts effortless tomato slices.

The Details: 1,000 and 6,000 grit; dual-sided synthetic water stone with accessories; 2.36 x 1.1 x 7.1 inches

Best for Professionals

Norton IM200 Knife Sharpener Kit

$109 $102 at Amazon

Unlike water stones, this professional kit from Norton uses oil to keep the stones from clogging up while sharpening the blade. Instead of soaking the bench stones in water and then continually wetting them, the base holds the oil in a reservoir, saturating the stones so that the slurry starts to collect straight away. To move from the coarsest to the finest grade, you simply rotate the handle until the next stone appears, ready to use.

Made of silicon carbide, these stones are harder than most water stones. They also felt very well-constructed in tests. At 8 inches, they match the length of a standard chef’s knife for even sharpening without concentrating on the point and heel.

The plastic base contains most of the mess that results from using oil but could be more durable. It also lets the stones rock back and forth, requiring practice and a steady hand to use effectively. A locking mechanism would be preferable to keep the stones stable and the kit more beginner-friendly. The set does include extensive instructions to help those new to using an oil stone, as well as sharpening oil and an angle guide.

The Details: Fine, medium, and coarse grit; three synthetic oil stones with accessories; 2 x 0.375 x 8 inches

Best for Touch-ups

Royal Craft Wood 1000/6000 Grit Whetstone Kit

$17 at Amazon $32 at Walmart $19 at Wayfair

If you already keep your knives in great shape, this simple kit—water stone, base, and angle guide—fits in a tidy box that can stay in easy reach in your kitchen or even travel with you for touch-ups. The bamboo base has nonslip rubber on the bottom and a silicone holder for the bench stone, keeping everything rock-steady as you sharpen. The entire setup could be longer to make sharpening standard kitchen knives easier, but the length keeps it compact and portable.

The stone, which has coarser and finer sides, tucks firmly inside the base. During testing, the slurry built up so quickly on the 1,000-grit stone that it made a sludgy mess. The material is soft enough to nick along the edges. so you’ll want to add a flattening stone to the kit if you will be using this coarse side regularly.

We were happier with the 6,000-grit stone, which can hone a cutting edge amid everyday use. You’ll get the best results from this side if you sharpen frequently before the blades become dull and need a completely new edge. The price might attract beginners, but the limited instructions are aimed at experienced whetstone users.

The Details: 1,000 and 6,000 grit; dual-sided synthetic water stone with base and angle guide; 2.4 x 1 x 7.1 inches

Best Ease of Use

Intelitopia Knife Sharpening Stone Set

$34 $27 at Amazon

This set’s aluminum oxide stones and accessories resemble others we tested but stand out for their ease of use. The range of grits lets you start from scratch with a new edge and helps hone sharp knives. The illustrated instructions cover each of the kit’s components and give helpful tips for establishing sharpening skills.

The heavy two-sided water stones fit in a bamboo base with a nonslip top and bottom for safe, stable use. They hold water well, a key feature while building up the slurry that actually sharpens a knife’s cutting edge. Two additional stones, a stone corrector and a flattening stone, help to level out the whetstones and remove scratches and filings. The kit also includes a leather strop and angle guide.

In tests, the chef’s knife was 2 inches longer than the bench stones, so it took more passes than expected to get the tip and heel as sharp as the middle of the blade. The blade easily sliced carrots and tomatoes at its incredibly sharp center, but a piece of paper still tore a bit while slicing at the heel and tip.

The Details: 400, 1,000, 3,000, and 8,000 grit; two dual-sided synthetic water stones with accessories; 2.9 x 1.1 x 7.1 inches