The 4 Best Whetstones of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

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A sharp edge can breathe new life into your old knives.

In This Article

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

It’s not uncommon for people to look at their dull set of knives and conclude they’ve exceeded their useful lifespan and need to replace them. In most cases, the knives only need a good sharpening. We live in exciting times and are spoiled for choice when it comes to sharpening methods, including electric or pre-set guided sharpeners. The venerable sharpening stone (or whetstone) may seem archaic by comparison, but it's time-tested and gentle on knives. I've used several in my career as a chef and even taught a whetstone 101 class once, so it's one of those tools I swear by.

Sharpening a metal edge requires an abrasive, which generates heat from friction. Whetstones keep the metal cool: When used with water, they create a wet slurry, or a sort of paste, which helps polish the edge. Because of that cooling, your edge is better protected and easier to sharpen because there’s no heat damage. Whetstones do have a learning curve, but the results are tangible in that less metal is removed from your knife in the sharpening process compared to an electric sharpener.

Ultimately, a sharpened edge brings new life to your old knives and makes cutting easier, safer, and more precise. But not every whetstone is great for every knife, and there are some considerations to take into account, such as its length compared to your chef’s knife. We tested 20 sharpening sets, including full kits, dual-sided stones, and tri-stones, to find their strengths and weaknesses for you. Read on to see our results.

The angle guide helps beginners acquire the best angle for sharpening, and its plastic base keeps everything steady.

It’s a bit short for an 8-inch knife, requiring some angle changes to sharpen the tip and heel properly, and a dressing stone would be a good addition to extend the stone’s longevity.

The King Whetstone Starter Set includes a single, dual-sided water stone with one 1,000-grit side and one 6,000-grit. This level of abrasion makes it perfectly suitable for maintaining dull knives; however, it would require some extra work to repair knicks or chips in the blade, as a coarser grit is necessary for more in-depth repairs. The set also includes a plastic base that elevates the block off the table surface and keeps it stable and an angle guide, which made it easier for us to maintain the proper sharpening angle with each pass. Unfortunately, the stone’s overall length was slightly shorter than our 8-inch knife, so we had to work on the tip and heel of the blade separately instead of covering them in one fluid stroke.

Still, we were incredibly pleased with the results of our tests. After we finished with the whetstone, our blade’s sharpness ratings had improved by nearly 70%. And its sharpness proved to be just as effective in practice as the knife sliced effortlessly through paper, brunoised carrots with ease, and cut thin slices of tomato in one clean motion. Thanks to its practical accessories and ease of use, we think the King Starter Set would be a great choice for beginners who are just learning to use a whetstone. However, it could also work well for the seasoned professional who regularly maintains their knives. Plus, its quality is such that, if adequately maintained, the stone should have a good longevity.

Grits: 1,000 and 6,000 | Dimensions: 7.3 x 2.5 x 1 inches | Accessories: Angle guide, wiping cloth, and plastic base

These stones sharpened our blades quickly and easily, and it’s a good set for serious home cooks. Plus, we love the included hard-side carrying case.

The wooden base can slide around when wet, requiring a towel to keep it in place.

This kit from Cangshan Cutlery includes far more than just the stone. It also comes with a pair of cut-resistant gloves, blade polishing oil, a fine-grit blade polishing compound, a leather strop for removing any last lingering burrs from the blade, a microfiber cloth, a wooden stand, an angle guide, and a carrying case — so it’s got everything you need and more. The 1,0000/6,000 grit synthetic stone is two-sided, and, with a nicely-formed slurry that rose quickly on each side of the stone, it only required about 25 strokes per side to raise and even the burr. We did find that the base slid around on wet surfaces after adding more water to the stone, but that situation was easily resolved by placing a towel under the base. We liked that the base’s stone-holding groove was form-fitting for added stability and prevented the stone from moving when placed on top.

We were impressed to find that our blade’s sharpness improved by over 65% with this whetstone set, which yielded impressive results in our end performance tests as the knife practically glided through paper and delicate tomato slices. In fact, cutting the fragile fruit required little more effort than simply lifting the knife and putting it to the produce. This Cangshan set is perfect for serious home cooks or budding chefs who want to start caring for their knives more diligently, and it’s a great starter kit to build on with a wider range of grits if you decide to expand your toolbox down the line.

Grits: 1,000/6,000 | Dimensions: 7.1 x 2.4 x 1 inches | Accessories: Acacia wood base, angle guide, blade oil, leather strop, polishing compound, microfiber cloth, cut-resistant gloves, and storage case

Although it’s not top of the line, this is an excellent set for beginners, as it contains everything they’d need to get started with knife sharpening and comes at a great value.

We’d like to see a slightly bigger dressing stone to get better control of repairing the uneven wear that occurs on the stone during sharpening, and the gloves are best suited for people with smaller hands.

This Kerye multi-piece set comes with two dual-sided stones of ascending grits, a pair of cut-resistant gloves, a strop, a dressing stone, an angle guide, and a bamboo stand to elevate the stone. The bamboo base has a slip-resistant bottom holding the stone well and preventing movement on the counter or inside the base. Its grits and accessories should essentially cover any sharpening job, from repairing knicks and chips to refining the edge. However, in practice, we saw that there wasn’t enough variation between some of the grits to make a big enough difference. So, while we found it adequate for sharpening everyday-use knives, we wouldn’t use it on our more high-end blades.

Still, although other stones we tested performed better on the sharpening scale (this one only managed to increase our blade’s sharpness by 55%), the value for this set was evident from its ease of use and included accessories. Plus it performs much better than similar kits within the same price range. So if you’re a beginner or a home cook who wants to try your hand at using a whetstone without too much of an upfront investment, then this is the set for you.

Grits: 400/1,000 and 3,000/8,000 | Dimensions: 7.1 x 2.4 x 1.1 inches | Accessories: Flattening stone, leather strop, angle guide, and cut-resistant gloves

The stand is versatile, allowing you to use stones from other manufacturers, and the stones’ width makes sharpening the whole blade very simple.

The cost is a major consideration, and a glass panel on the base of each stone could bode poorly for the heavy-handed.

This set of synthetic stones is for those cooks who are serious about their cutlery and keeping it at its sharpest. The set is simple — three stones, a stand, and a dressing stone to maintain the whetstones — but it stood out to us due to its quality and versatility. The stand is worth speaking of on its own, and we loved how its silicone-footed and slip-resistant design allowed it to clamp the stones firmly in place, minimizing wobble and making it suitable for countertop, tabletop, or in-sink use. Furthermore, its adjustable bed means that it can also accommodate stones from other manufacturers, which is perfect for the experienced cook who already has a couple of tried and true stones but wants to expand their collection.

The three stones included with the set, however, cover most needs for repair and sharpening blades, and their width was sufficient for whole-blade coverage with each pass. They improved our blade’s sharpness by nearly 60%, and we found it especially easy to sharpen the heel during normal strokes, which isn’t always the case with whetstones smaller than these.

Although the set includes an instructional DVD, it doesn’t come with any additional aids, such as an angle guide or cut-resistant gloves, so we don’t think this would be the best option for beginners. But the quality of the stones, if maintained properly with the included dressing stone, suggests good durability and longevity.

Grits: 400, 1,000, and 5,000 | Dimensions: 8.27 x 2.76 x 0.31 inches | Accessories: Whetstone sink bridge, cleaning stone, and instructional DVD

The King Whetstone Starter Set is a good choice for beginners and experienced users alike, providing a good selection of grits on a sturdy, dual-sided stone (and at a reasonable price). It may be a little short for longer knives, but this didn’t show itself to be too problematic.

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

To test 20 whetstones, we needed a lot of dull knives — many more than we had on hand in our kitchens. So, to start, we dulled several new Henckles 8-inch chef’s knives using a coarse-grit sharpener set at a 35° angle. After establishing that each knife was sufficiently dull, using a professional knife edge tester that measures the grams of pressure necessary to cut through a thread, we put them through a series of tests to assess the blade’s performance before and after its whetstone sharpening.

First, we sliced — or attempted to slice — through a sheet of paper, running the knife from heel to tip and slicing lengthwise through the sheet suspended in our hand. Next, we cut carrots three ways: into thin rounds, lengthwise into halves and quarters, and then we attempted a fine julienne before cross-cutting to brunoise. In our final test to confirm their dullness, we used the knives to thinly slice a tomato, if possible. After testing each whetstone by sharpening these dull blades, we used the edge tester to measure the blade’s new sharpness at its tip, middle, and heel before repeating the cutting tests of paper, carrots, and tomatoes.

With that information in hand, we then rated the whetstones on a scale of one to five in the following areas:

We used these ratings and some additional subjective observations to arrive at our winners in each category — along with the ones that we thought were good but didn’t quite make the grade and those that we felt needed some improvement.

You have to develop a feel for using a sharpening stone. That said, we have a general set of instructions here. For a quick summary, you’ll first soak, wet, or oil your stone to provide proper lubrication for the metal-on-stone friction that’s about to occur. Then, you’ll start with the lowest-numbered grit, which is the coarsest stone in your set. This stone will raise a burr on the blade, which forms when you sharpen one side of the blade to the point that the edge starts to curl over to the opposite side. The coarse stone sets the tone for all subsequent work, so don’t skip it.

Next, set your knife at the proper angle, typically 15° for Japanese knives or 20° for Western-style blades. Apply two to four pounds of pressure to the blade by pressing down and, starting at the tip or the heel, run the knife the length of the stone. In the same motion, you’ll move along the blade towards the opposite end from that you started with to ensure you’re sharpening the blade’s entirety. Repeat this motion until you can feel the burr raising on the opposite edge of the blade. Fifty to 80 strokes should be sufficient. Then, turn the knife over and repeat this process to smooth the burr and establish the edge.

Repeat these steps on each successive stone until you’ve reached the highest numbered grit. As you’re going up in grit, you’re no longer trying to raise the burr but refine the edge that you set with the first coarse stone, so you can apply lighter pressure when using higher-numbered grits. To finish, you can run the knife across a leather strop or honing steel to remove any remaining inconsistencies in the blade.

Learning to use a whetstone can be daunting, so finding a set or stone that’s easy for you to use helps greatly. If you’re new to the whole experience, an angle guide can help you get used to holding the knife at the proper angle. A stand to elevate the stone from the counter or tabletop gives you more room to position your hands to maintain that angle. But the stand should preferably have a slip-resistant bottom to keep it from sliding around and a form-fitting insert or clamp to hold the stone in place on top of the stand. Some sets are dual-sided, and others have two or more stones in the collection. If you’re prone to accidentally separating or misplacing things in a kitchen drawer, a dual-sided stone may help you out.

The duller your blade, the coarser (lower numbered) the grit you’ll need to sharpen it. If you stay on top of your knives and notice they don’t quite slice a tomato as easily as last week, a quick touch-up on a finer grit stone will get you right back to where you were. But if your knives are significantly dull, you’ll need a coarser grit to bring them back into shape.

The coarse grit sets the tone for what’s to come. If your knife is simply dull and doesn’t require repair, like fixing a chipped tip or nicked blade, a good starting point is between 800 and 1,000 grit. You’ll raise the burr and establish the edge with the coarse grit, then polish and refine the edge to greater degrees of sharpness with medium and fine grits: 3,000 is good for a medium grit, while 6,000-8,000 will put the finest edges on your blade.

You can buy higher grit stones, but unless you have a need for surgically sharp knives or use them for carving or woodworking, 8,000 should be more than adequate to sharpen your knives for home or professional use. If you’re a beginner, keep these numbers in mind as a starting point, and you can customize your selections when you feel more comfortable and can better identify your needs.

Efficiently sharpening your knives, meaning sharpening the whole blade at once, requires you to have the range to move the knife from tip to heel as you stroke it down the length of the stone. Whetstones that are shorter or the same length as your knife can frustrate your efficiency efforts, making you spend extra time focusing on particular regions of the blade that didn’t receive the same stone contact or pressure. Consider buying a stone two inches or more longer than your knife blade. An 8-inch stone is great for a 6-inch petty knife but can be frustrating with an 8-inch chef’s knife, for example.

Whetstones are rocks. What could be complicated about caring for them? True, they are easy to care for; simply rinse them off and then clean the surface to remove any remaining slurry. But inevitably, no matter how hard you try to maintain even pressure and not work the same spot on the stone, you’ll start to wear it down unevenly. In that case, a dressing stone or fine-grit sandpaper is needed to even the stone out and remove any residual slurry that’s hardened onto the stone. If you don’t mind a separate purchase of sandpaper, that’s fine. But if you do, look for a set with a dressing stone included.

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

No, they are the same thing. The confusion comes from the wonders of the English language, where words have the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings, such as whet and wet. Whet means to sharpen, as in whetting one’s appetite. People often mistake the name and assume it is a special stone requiring water.

Most need to be wet. Soaking the whetstone helps the sharpening process, making it quicker and preventing damage to either tool. A whetstone made of diamond or ceramic may be used dry, but even these benefit from a few drops of water. We should note, however, that these materials didn't perform as well in our tests.

As you sharpen your knives, putting water on the whetstone provides lubrication against the friction, but it also suspends bits of the stone and your knife’s blade in what’s called the “slurry.” Due to the slurry’s abrasive nature, it helps with the sharpening process. However, you don’t want to let it dry on the stone, as it will form a layer of build-up between the knife and the stone. Instead, you’ll want to rinse the slurry away and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on further cleaning.

Some recommend a dressing stone, which removes the buildup and flattens the whetstone, removing any valleys that may have formed during sharpening. Others recommend using fine-grit sandpaper to accomplish the same end. Let your stone thoroughly air-dry before storing it to avoid trapping any moisture inside.

Soaking time is variable, depending on the manufacturer’s specifications and the porousness of the stone. Some non-porous stones we tested require no soaking at all, just a few drops of water on the surface, while others frequently require 10 to 15 minutes (or even up to an hour) soaking in some cases.

If you care for your stones as the manufacturer suggests, you should get a long life — 5 years or more from your whetstones with regular use. Because of their abrasive nature, the coarser-grit stones will wear faster than finer-grit stones. But some manufacturers of dual-sided stones take that into account and make a thicker coarse side, allowing the two sides to wear down at an even pace.

Mizuyama Sharpening Stone ($79 at Korin)This dual-side stone set is quite minimalist, with just the stone and a rubber mat, but it produced some really great results. However, we found that the mat didn’t provide much non-slip protection, and the instability could be dangerous for beginners or the inattentive.

Keenbest Sharpening Stone Kit ($19 at Amazon)We love that this two-stone, dual-sided set has all the grits you need to get started, but the stones needed more length to work with it efficiently. Plus, it couldn’t quite compete with the performance of our Best Value pick.

Norton IM200 Knife Sharpener Kit ($97 at Amazon)This set includes three stones (120, 200, and 400 grit) mounted on a spindle that rotates through an oil reservoir. In addition to the lack of fine-grit stones, we found that the rotating stones needed more stability, and the oil splashed and made a mess.

Work Sharp Whetstone ($50 at WorkSharp)The Work Sharp is another whetstone that suffers from lack of length. The stones worked well, and this would be a fine stone for shorter knives, but an 8-inch chef’s knife took a lot of focus on each blade area to attain a uniform sharpness.

Amazon Basics Whetstone Knife Sharpening Set ($48 at Amazon)The Amazon Basics set includes two dual-sided stones with all the grits a beginner needs, but it, too, suffers from a short length that makes evenly sharpening an 8-inch knife difficult.

In this round of testing, there were several whetstones that didn’t quite make the cut. Some may have started with a good idea, like including different materials for each grade of coarseness (such as diamond, aluminum oxide, and ceramic), yet they fell flat based on their results and size. This was the case with sets like the AccuSharp DELUXE Tri-Stone System.

A common thread of underperformance in testing was the shortness of some stones, which made evenly sharpening an 8-inch chef’s knife challenging. The Sharp Pebble Premium Knife Sharpening Stone was among them. Even after focusing on specific areas of the blade, the sharpness results were lackluster, and the stones required frequent re-wetting to suspend the slurry. Smith’s Tri6 Arkansas Stone Sharpening System was also too short for an 8-inch knife, and the three stones mounted on a rotating spindle construction was too wobbly to achieve even results.

We also tested the Sharpening Supplies Double-Sided 8-Inch Water Stone Kit, which is out of stock. It has a good selection of grits with its two dual-sided stones, but we found that the stones were too narrow to sharpen an 8-inch chef’s knife in one pass. We also noticed that the coarse stone wore down quickly and, lacking a stand, wobbled when placed on a wet towel.

Greg Baker is an award-winning chef, former restaurateur, and food writer with four decades of experience in the food industry. His written work appears in Food & Wine, Tasting Table, Serious Eats, and other publications.