Customers often ask us, “What kind of whetstone should I use to sharpen knives at home?” There are several types of whetstones, which can be summarized as follows.

A whetstone with coarse grit, providing strong sharpening power, used when the blade is chipped or damaged.

A whetstone with finer grit than the coarse whetstone, suitable for regular maintenance at home.

A stone with finer grain than a medium-grit stone, used after the medium-grit stone to achieve a smoother cutting edge.

A stone used to flatten the surface of the whetstone (the surface of the whetstone becomes concave with use).

For sharpening knives at home, I think a medium-grit stone and a surface-leveling stone are sufficient.  

For small nicks, while it takes more time than a coarse-grit stone, a medium-grit stone can also handle it. For those seeking even sharper edges, I recommend using a finishing stone after sharpening with a medium-grit stone.  

For those interested in trying knife sharpening with stones, please also refer to the following video.