Originally Posted by
Schtoo
Hi Chook,
You want my honest opinion?
The #1000 is good. The #4000 is too soft, too coarse and too vulgar. The #8000 is less coarse, less soft and only a little less vulgar. The #220 is not one I've tried, but it's got a very poor reputation.
Of all the stones I've ever used of all kinds, I feel very sorry for those who bought Norton's on the premise that they are good stones. They do work, they do get stuff sharp(ish) and they're cheap.
But if something terrible happened and I had to get rid of my sharpening gear, they'd be in the very first cull.
That's me, not pulling any punches at all. I just got a #4000/8000 combo a week ago and have had the #1000 for a couple years now. Within the first few seconds of using the #4000, the only thing I could think of was "what the ^%#%&^$ is this?!?" The #8000 side didn't alleviate my concerns by very much at all.
But they're cheap. Although, I think you can do better. ;)
Stu.