Sharpening stone 800 18 cm, KAI

Product detailed description

The KAI WS-0800 sharpening stone is the kind of equipment that reminds you of an unpleasant truth: a sharp knife will not stay sharp on good intentions alone. Every now and then, it takes a little work, focus and patience. The reward, however, is a very satisfying moment when the knife stops struggling with the ingredients and starts slicing through them smoothly again.

Main advantages:

• The KAI WS-0800 is a Japanese water sharpening stone with #800 grit designed for the regular sharpening of kitchen knives and restoring edges that have lost their original sharpness.
• The #800 grit represents a versatile medium grade that removes more material than fine finishing stones, but is not as aggressive as coarse stones designed for major edge repairs.
• The WS-0800 is particularly suitable for routine knife maintenance when you need to recreate a sharp and even cutting edge without having to start with a very coarse grit.
• The single-stage design allows you to focus directly on the sharpening itself and then, if necessary, continue on a finer stone if you want to smooth and polish the edge even further.
• Before use, the stone is soaked in water until air bubbles stop rising, and during sharpening, it is necessary to keep its surface constantly wet.
• During the process, water helps wash away particles released from both the blade and the sharpening stone, creating the environment needed on its surface for smooth and controlled sharpening.
• During sharpening, the stone is placed on a suitable holder or a wet tea towel so that it does not slide across the work surface during repeated knife strokes.
• For double-beveled knives, the blade is held at an angle of approximately 15° to the surface of the stone, and this angle needs to be maintained as consistently as possible during individual strokes.
• During work, the cutting edge is oriented at an angle of approximately 45 to 60° relative to the longitudinal axis of the stone in order to use its working surface effectively.
• The knife is guided back and forth along the entire length of the stone with light and even pressure, without unnecessary pushing, which would impair control over the sharpening angle.
• Once a fine burr forms on one side of the edge, continue in the same manner on the other side until the cutting edge is worked evenly from both sides.
• The WS-0800 can also be used for single-beveled Japanese knives, although the method of placing the blade and guiding it along the stone differs from symmetrically sharpened edges.
• The dimensions of 18.5 × 6.4 × 2 cm provide a sufficiently long working surface for comfortably guiding standard and larger kitchen knives.
• The design includes a black base that raises the sharpening stone above the worktop and facilitates its stable use during sharpening.
• The #800 grit is practical for regular home sharpening when the knife really needs its edge restored, but is not so damaged that it is necessary to start on a coarse grit around #200 to #400.
• After sharpening, the WS-0800 can be followed by a finer stone, for example with a grit of #3000 or higher, if you want to further smooth and refine the cutting edge.
• During long-term use, it is important to monitor the flatness of the working surface, as the stone must remain as flat as possible along its entire length for precise sharpening.
• The WS-0800 is a simple and versatile basis for manual sharpening – it offers a single, purposefully chosen grit for regular edge restoration without an unnecessarily complicated multi-stage design.
• KAI does not treat blades as just another item in a catalogue – for more than a century, they have been developing expertise around cutting edges, and alongside the knives themselves, they also offer specialised equipment for their sharpening and long-term maintenance.

Additional information:

• dimensions: 18.5 x 6.4 x 2 cm
• material: plastic, nylon, diamond abrasive