Contact Us
Site Map

Search

Sanyo vs. King 6000 grit stone.

 Manufacturer, Price and Dimension :

Sanyo- Manufacturer Imanishi. Price- $44.95 210mm x 75mm x 25mm (8 ¼ x 3 x 1 inch)

King- Manufacturer King. Price- $54.95   210mm x 73mm x 22mm (8 ¼ x 2.8 x .86 inches)

Impressions/Performance for Sanyo:

When I first got the Sanyo 6000 grit stone to replace my ageing King 6k. There wasn't a lot of information out there unlike the King. (which has been around for a while) The first thing that I noticed was that it felt smoother to the touch than the King 6k. The Sanyo is a soaker stone, so you need to soak this stone for about 15 or 20 minutes. I use this stone following a progression of two other stones. The King 1200 stone then the Naniwa Aotoshi 2k "Green Brick". For stainless steel this is where I stop but for carbon I'll take it further with the Jyunsyouhonyama 8-10k natural, I will then finish off both stainless and carbon with stropping on leather loaded with Chromium Oxide and finally on balsa loaded with .25 Micron Diamond spray.

The Sanyo 6k stone in my opinion gives a slightly more smooth edge than the King. You can easily stop at this stone and have great edges for softer steels or keep going for harder Japanese blades. The finish is about the same as a King, giving a hazy somewhat mirror finish. The edge is fully capable of push cutting paper or shaving arm hair. Although I do find that if you work on the stone more, and the following stone is a natural, I find the edge might stick to the stone as the finish is rather smooth but if you don't fully polish then it really isn't much of a problem. 

Water consumption is higher than the King so you have to keep splashing water on it or else it dries up. It works up a mud quickly and is darker than the King, but I find that it is the softer of the two stones so it dishes faster so you'll need to flatten it more often than the King. But over all very impressive stone for the price.     

Pros/Cons for Sanyo.

Pros:

• Smoother than King.
• Good cutting power.
• Less expensive.
• Won't clog up as bad.
• Works well for both Stainless Steel and Carbon knives.
• Provides a very good final finish for any knife and also works fine as a progression for further polishing. (If edge isn't fully polished)

Cons:

• Is a little softer than the King 6k.
• If you do fully polish out the edge and proceed to higher grit stones, the edge might stick especially on a natural I find.
• Higher water consumption.
• Dishes faster than King, so needs to be flattened more.

Impressions/Performance for King:

The King 6k stone feels smooth to the touch and gives good feed back. It will also provide a good final finish or a good bridge to further polishing. As with the Sanyo, the King is a soaker stone so it is good to go in about 15 or 20 minutes. I used the same King 1200, Naniwa Aotoshi 2k "Green Brick" before and the Jyunsyouhonyama 8-10k natural for carbon, both of which are followed but with stropping on leather loaded with Chromium Oxide and finally on balsa loaded with .25 Micron Diamond spray.

The over all finish for the King is more "toothy" than the Sanyo and its finish is more of a misty mirror finish, but over all a very good finish for those who want that "toothy" edge. As for a bridge, I find that the less refined edge works a little better when I progress to my natural. Since the finish isn't as mirrored, the natural has an easier time working then when I use the more polished Sanyo finish. (which tends to stick to the natural if you fully polish the edge) Water consumption is moderate and will produce mud after only a few strokes. I do find that it will clog up fast and I will need to stop and use my nagura to clean it up. But since so many people out there use or have used a King 6k for a beginning or still do that's because they work so well. So if it isn't broke don't fix it.  

Pros/Cons for King.

Pros:

• Harder than the Sanyo so won't dish as fast and won't gouge as easy.
• Provides slightly more aggressive edge and easier to go to higher grit stones as the finish isn't that fine.
• Water consumption isn't that high.
• Works well for both Stainless Steel and Carbon knives.
• Provides a very good final finish for any knife and also works fine as a progression for further polishing.

Cons:

• Feels rougher and not as refined finish.
• Tends to clog up faster so you'll have to clean it off more.
• More expensive of the two stones.

Conclusions:

Both the Sanyo and King 6000 stones perform very well. If you are looking to stop at this range, each will provide a very good "toothy" edge while still being able to push cut paper. Which both are able to accomplish. While both work very well as a bridge to further polishing stones, both natural and synthetic. The Sanyo's finish is I feel is a little smoother, which might be a little difficult if you are using a natural finishing stone, as it might stick some while the finish that the King gives is very respectable and less polished.

For the price, each is a great value. If you want a little more polished finished edge, then I would say that the Sanyo is the way to go, but at the cost of having to flatten it more and higher water consumption. While the King will give a slightly less polished edge it is harder so it won't dish as fast but I find clogs up faster. Both are very respectable for a final stone or as a progression to higher, over all finish and dishing are the main difference between the two but for the price you really can't go wrong.