Shapton Professional Kuromaku 12,000 Grit Sharpening Stone Yanagiba and small imperfections are to

and small imperfections are to be expected

I really love this knife -- unlike many Chinese chef's knives which are pieces of junk

These qualities make this knife ideally suited to fruit and vegetables and other meats too

the differences at this level of quality are very small and a matter of personal preference and how the knife maker deals with the steel

the RockStar could be a bit softer and more prone to building mud (this is neither better nor worse

Shapton Professional Kuromaku 12,000 Grit Sharpening Stone Yanagiba and small imperfections are toShapton Kuromaku Professional Whetstone, 12000 Grit, #K0705 210mm x 70mm, 15mm thick. These Kuromaku Professional series stones are very fast cutting and long lasting, offering nice sharpening feedback while still being very hard so they resist dishing nicely. Note that these are splash and go, so do not soak these stones. These stones come in a convenient plastic case that also doubles as a stone holder, though the affordable Naniwa universal