Suehiro Cerax 401 – #320 [Cerax Series]

The Cerax line of stones is one of the best among mid-range whetstones. We are talking about medium hard stones, which quickly create a slurry 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 quicker 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, japanese or not.

The Suehiro Cerax #320 grit stone removes material very effectively, as it quickly creates a paste during sharpening to help, thus making the process easier. This coarse stone used at the beginning of knife sharpening can also be used to repair damage and to change blade geometry. Sharpening can be continued on the Suehiro Cerax #1000 grit stone.

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: 205×73×29mm
Weight: 1150g
Package Size: 235×86×35mm
Stone series: Cerax
Product No.: 401