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Jun 25, 2025

The 4 Best Whetstones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. A fresh edge can breathe new life into your old knives. In This Article Food & Wine

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

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

In This Article

Food & Wine

If you've ever looked at your dull chef's knife or entire knife set and thought it was time to replace them, you can save some big money by restoring what you already have instead. Many dull knives are just one sharpening away from performing as well as new.

There are several ways to breathe new life back into your older knives: There are handy tabletop manual models and even electric knife sharpeners, but professional chefs will tell you that a whetstone is the best way to care for your knives. With a whetstone, you control the angle, grit, and pressure while sharpening, allowing you to restore the edge of any knife to a high degree of precision. Whetstones do have a learning curve, but with some practice, you'll be honing every blade in your collection to scalpel-like perfection.

Ultimately, a sharpened edge brings new life to an old knife, making cutting easier, more precise, and — perhaps most importantly — safer. But not every whetstone is ideal for every knife-wielder. We tested 20 sharpening sets, including full kits, dual-sided stones, and tri-stones, to determine the best one for each type of cook, from total beginners to experienced chefs.

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). A kit with added accessories like cut-resistant gloves and an angle guide is ideal for beginners, and the best one of those we tested was the Cangshan 7-Piece Kitchen Knife Care & Sharpening Kit.

The angle guide is helpful for beginners, and the plastic base keeps everything steady.

It’s a bit short for an 8-inch knife, and we would have liked to see a dressing stone.

The King Whetstone Starter Set includes a single water stone with 1,000- and 6,000-grit sides. This level of abrasion is adequate for maintaining even the dullest knives, though a coarser option might be better for the heavy-duty work of repairing nicks or chips. The set also comes with a plastic base that elevates the block and keeps it stable, as well as 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.

Despite our complaints, we were incredibly pleased with the results of our tests. A pass across the stone improved our knife's sharpness measurements by nearly 70 percent. And it proved 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, the King Starter Set is an excellent knife sharpener for beginners learning to use a whetstone or the seasoned professional who regularly maintains their knives. The only thing it's missing is a separate dressing stone to clean and maintain the whetstone over time.

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

These stones sharpened our blades quickly and easily, and we love the included hard-side carrying case.

The wooden base can slide around when wet.

This kit from Cangshan Cutlery includes far more than just a 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 — everything you need and more fits into one convenient both. The 1,000/6,000 grit synthetic stone is two-sided and worked up into a nice slurry during testing. It only required about 25 strokes per side to raise and even the burr. We were impressed to find that our blade’s sharpness improved by over 65 percent with the Cangshan stone. The test knife practically glided through paper and delicate tomato. In fact, cutting the fragile fruit required little more than just the weight of the knife itself. It can potentially turn even a cheap blade into a good knife for cutting vegetables.

We did find that the base slid around on wet surfaces, which is likely to happen with a wet whetstone. But that situation was easily resolved by placing a towel underneath. We liked that the base’s stone-holding groove is form-fitting, providing added stability and preventing the stone from moving when placed on top. Overall, this Cangshan set is a chef-level tool, ideal for home cooks who want to take more diligent care of their knives. It’s a great starter kit to build on with a broader 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, storage case

This set includes all the necessities at a great price.

It didn't do as good a job in testing as more expensive stones.

This Kerye multi-piece set includes two dual-sided stones with ascending grits, a pair of cut-resistant gloves, a strop, a dressing stone, an angle guide, and a bamboo stand to elevate the stones. The bamboo base features a slip-resistant bottom that securely holds the stone in place, preventing movement on the counter or within the base. Its grits and accessories should essentially cover any sharpening job, from repairing nicks and chips to refining the edge. However, in practice, we observed that there wasn’t enough variation between some of the grits to make a significant 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 percent), 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. This is a great tool for beginners who want to try their hand at using a whetstone without too much of an upfront investment.

Grits: 400, 1,000, 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, and the stones’ width makes sharpening the whole blade very simple.

This is an expensive set that doesn't include beginner-friendly accessories.

This set of synthetic stones is designed for cooks who are serious about their knives and want to keep them razor-sharp. The set is simple — three sharpening stones, a stand, and a dressing stone — but it stood out to us due to its quality and versatility. The stand was one of our favorite features; 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 any surface. Furthermore, its adjustable bed means that it can also accommodate stones from other brands in a variety of sizes and grits.

The three stones included with the Kramer 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 percent, 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, like 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, 5,000 | Dimensions: 8.27 x 2.76 x 0.31 inches | Accessories: Whetstone sink bridge, cleaning stone, instructional DVD

Using a sharpening stone takes practice and a bit of technique. First, you'll soak, wet, or oil the stone, to ensure smooth blade movement. Next, decide on the blade angle you want to use — a narrower angle makes a sharper but less durable knife. 15 degrees is typical for Japanese knives, and 20 degrees for Western-style blades. Using a whetstone lets you adjust the angle however you like, but you have to hold the knife in the same orientation with each stroke for best results. Some whetstone kits include an angle guide to help maintain the right position.

To begin sharpening, use the coarsest (lowest-numbered) grit level. Starting with either the very tip or the very heel, run the blade smoothly across the stone, ensuring that you keep the angle steady and that every inch of the blade contacts the stone. You should apply a light amount of pressure (2 to 4 pounds) but not enough to bend the blade. Repeat this for 50 to 80 strokes, until you start to feel less friction and resistance.

Next, turn the blade over and do the same thing on the other side. Move on to the next-lowest grit and continue sharpening alternating sides of the blade, using a bit less pressure with each successively finer grit level.

At this point, the knife is ready to be washed, dried, and used, but you can also run it across a leather strop or honing steel at the end of the sharpening process to remove any remaining inconsistencies in the blade.

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

We amassed 20 sharpening stones for this test. We were looking for high marks in design, ease of use, and performance. We collected some subjective insights before and during the testing period on design aspects such as the stones' material, how durable it felt, range of grits, and any included accessories that made sharpening easier (such as edge guides, dressing stones, or stands), and the whetstones’ size(s).

During testing, we looked for instructions that were easy to understand and how easy each stone felt to use, especially for someone who is a beginner. To assess perfomance, we looked for wobbly bases, how quickly each whetstone developed a slurry, how many strokes were required to raise and smooth the burr on each blade, and the knives’ beginning and end sharpness ratings.

Food & Wine

To test our crop 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 Henckels 8-inch chef’s knives using a coarse-grit sharpener set at a 35° angle. To mechanically measure sharpness (and ensure each test knife was thoroughly dulled), we used a professional edge tester that measures the amount of force needed to cut through a reference material, but we also performed a series of real-world cutting tests on the sharpened blades.

We performed the following tests with our newly dull knives, and then we used each stone to sharpen one knife according to the manufacturer's instructions. After sharpening, we used our edge tester again to assess the sharpness of the tip, middle, and heel of each blade, and then repeated the tests below with our newly sharpened blades.

After we performed both sets of testing, we recorded our final thoughts and then assessed the pricing information. We weighed the cost of each stone against its overall performance to determine our value ratings. At the time of testing, the stones ranged in price from $19 to $400, with an average of $83.

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

Learning to use a whetstone can be daunting, so finding a set or stone that suits your skill level makes sharpening simpler. 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 provides more room to position your hands and maintain that angle. Look for one with a non-slip base; whetstones get wet, after all, and you don't want your setup sliding across the counter while sharpening.

Most stones are dual-sided for two different grits; as a beginner, this is likely all you'll need. If you're a little more comfortable with the process and don't mind a bit more work, a set with multiple stones, and thus multiple grits may be more your speed.

The duller your blade, the coarser (lower-numbered) the grit you’ll need to sharpen it. If you stay on top of your knives, a quick touch-up on a fine-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 grit you start with sets the tone for what’s to come. For general sharpening, 800 to 1,000-grit is the best place to begin, while a chipped or badly neglected knife may need to start even lower. As you continue with successively finer grits you'll polish and refine the edge to greater degrees of sharpness; 3,000 is good for a medium grit, while 6,000 to 8,000 will put the finest edges on your blade. Higher-grit stones than this exist, but they're more for surgically sharp knives or carving and woodworking tools than kitchen equipment,

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

Efficiently sharpening your knives requires you to have to move the entire blade from tip to heel across the stone evenly. Whetstones that are shorter or the same length as your knife can force you to use two strokes to cover the entire blade, not only doubling the amount of effort needed but also introducing more room for error. Consider buying a whetstone 2 inches or more longer than your longest knife blade. An 8-inch stone is great for a utility knife or a paring knife but can be somewhat annoying with a 10-inch chef’s knife.

Whetstones are literally rocks; what could be complicated about caring for them? They require little regular maintenance; simply rinse any debris off the surface after use and try them thoroughly. But a whetstone will inevitably start to wear down and develop low spots that don't contact knife blades properly. When this happens, you'll need a dressing stone or fine-grit sandpaper to re-smooth the whetstone itself.

Food & Wine

No. They're the same thing. You might also see it spelled "wet stone," as you use a whetstone soaked with water, though "whet" and "wet" are totally unrelated words. English is confusing sometimes

Most whetstones need some kind of lubrication, most often water. Check your model's instructions, but you'll usually want to soak the whetstone before you start and add more water periodically as you go. Other models use some variety of oil — make sure to choose a food-safe oil that's meant for your stone. A whetstone made of diamond or ceramic can be used dry, but even they benefit from a few drops of water, plues these materials didn't perform as well in our tests.

As you sharpen your knives, you'll wind up with a dark-colored slurry of water, grit, and metal particles all over the surface of the stone. The abrasive slurry actually helps with the sharpening process, but you don't want to let it dry and build up on the stone. You should always rinse and wipe down your whetstone thoroughly right after each use, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on further cleaning. Make sure the stone is completely dry before you slot it back in the base or put it away for storage.

For long-term maintenance, you can use a dressing stone or sandpaper to remove slurry buildup and smooth out worn spots in the whetstone.

Soaking time varies depending on the size of the stone and its exact material. Some non-porous stones we tested require no soaking at all, just a few drops of water on the surface, while others need anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes of soaking time.

If you care for your stones as the manufacturer suggests, you should get a long life out of them — 5 years or more even if you're using them weekly. Because of their abrasive nature, coarser-grit stones will wear faster than finer-grit one. However, some manufacturers of dual-sided stones take this into account and make the coarse side thicker, allowing the whole stone to wear down at an even pace.

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

Mizuyama Sharpening Stone ($79 at Korin)This dual-sided stone set includes just the stone and a rubber mat, and it produced some really great results. However, we found that the mat didn’t provide much non-slip protection, and a slippery whetstone is a dangerous whetstone.

Keenbest Sharpening Stone Kit ($20 at Amazon)We love that this two-stone, dual-sided set has all the grits you need to get started. But the stones aren't quite long enough to be effective on a wide range of blades. And though we thought the price was more than reasonable, it couldn’t quite match the performance of the KERYE model above.

Norton IM200 Knife Sharpener Kit ($109 at Amazon)This set includes three stones (100-, 150-, and 320-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 required more stability, and the oil splashed, making a mess. If you don't mind the cleanup, the lower grit stones are a great tool for extremely dull knives in need of some serious rescuing, or for garden tools like axes and shears.

Work Sharp Whetstone ($50 at WorkSharp)The Work Sharp is another whetstone that wasn't quite long enough for us. The stones worked well, and this would be a fine option for shorter knives, but an 8-inch chef’s knife took a lot of focus on each blade area to attain a uniform sharpness. We recommend it for folks with more experience and a precise hand.

Amazon Basics Whetstone Knife Sharpening Set ($39 at Amazon)The Amazon Basics set is excellent for beginners. It has two dual-sided stones, allowing you to use it on a wide range of knives. We also appreciated the non-slip band and angle guide. The stones themselves felt brittle, which led us to question their longevity — these are not stones that could survive being dropped.

Food & Wine / Nick Simpson

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.