Cheapest option to keep a Tojiro DP sharp.

[mattbhm]

Hello everyone.

I just purchased a Tojiro DP 210mm gyuto for my father for his birthday. Neither me or him know anything about "professional" chef knives.

I'm looking for the cheapest method of sharpening this knife. If someone also has a good resource on how to sharpen that'd be good but I'm sure I can find some youtube videos.

I heard that whetstones are the way to go, but the prices and grits are all over. From less than $20 to hundreds. I want the cheapest set that works well.

It has an insanely sharp OOTB edge but I know it won't be long until it needs a sharpening.

Thought I'd say, my plan was to buy the knife from here but after taking a couple of weeks figuring out which knife to get it was Friday afternoon and his Birthday is Today(Monday) so I needed to get it through amazon for Sunday delivery. Either way, I plan on getting the stones from here.

Thanks for any help.

[cedarhouse]

If the knife you are sharpening does not have visible damage to the edge, you can get away with a single 1k stone. There are a dozen types of stones out there but Japanese synthetic waterstones cut fast, last a long time, product a good edge, and are reasonably cost effective.

My favorite stone to recommend for a beginner is a Shapton Pro 1k stone (http://www.chefknivestogo.com/shpro10.html).

I'll go ahead and plug an intro to sharpening video I posted a while back here but truth be told, there are a lot of very good videos of sharpening out there you can learn from. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZRLKV_RAgo&t=13s. Also check out Ken Schwartz, MrEdgy(YouTube channel), Mark has a few sharpening videos on the Chefknivestogo youtube channel.

[Chefcallari]

Theres lots of opinions on this so this is just mine.
If its for home use and you plan on learning to sharpen, then i would just buy a 1000 grit stone...that's it. It will be more than you need at home. There are tons of options in the $40-$60 range that are all great. ANY of the stones you buy from here in that range will last you years (6-10) in a home kitchen, so its a worth while investment.
Choosing a stone really comes down to what you want and your skill level. Hard or soft? Muddy or not? Soaking or splash and go? With a little practice you can get a great edge off any stone on this site.

[William]

Go for medium coarse (800-1000 grit) http://www.chefknivestogo.com/megrst70.html . King, Naniwa and Shapton pro are very good brands.

[TomCutlery]

there's a guy on youtube who has sharpened knives successfully using a brick but barring that I'd recommend the red 1K brick on the website.

[mattbhm]

Thanks everyone for the information. I'll look at the recommended 1k stones.

My father asked why he couldn't just use 1k grit sandpaper. I know in the end it wouldn't be cost efficient, but could use sandpaper? This isn't because I plan on it, I'm just curious.

[Lepus]

You can, but the sandpaper wears out a lot faster than a stone. Over time the stone is less expensive. This is a tool you can use for years, maybe decades.

[desol]

I'd recommend ceder's suggestion of the shapton because apparently they're very hard and dish slow. If you get a softer stone, you will need sandpaper too...cause you'll be having to flatten it all the time.

[ChefKnivesToGo]

If the knife you are sharpening does not have visible damage to the edge, you can get away with a single 1k stone. There are a dozen types of stones out there but Japanese synthetic waterstones cut fast, last a long time, product a good edge, and are reasonably cost effective.

My favorite stone to recommend for a beginner is a Shapton Pro 1k stone (http://www.chefknivestogo.com/shpro10.html).

I'll go ahead and plug an intro to sharpening video I posted a while back here but truth be told, there are a lot of very good videos of sharpening out there you can learn from. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZRLKV_RAgo&t=13s. Also check out Ken Schwartz, MrEdgy(YouTube channel), Mark has a few sharpening videos on the Chefknivestogo youtube channel.

The Shapton Pro is an excellent choice. The box also works as a stone holder when you sharpen so it's really all you need to get started.

[Edgarsmokin_hogs]

What did you end up getting?