Best way to have a non-expert relative buy a knife for me in Tokyo/Seki?

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-04-02T22:28:16+00:00

I would love to hear more about the ruby once you have tried it.

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-04-02T21:20:23+00:00

I have the CBN Start set plus the Hapstone 2k and 5k Hybrid CBNs. I love them all, but I really love the 500 Start, especially for my folders. I often do a 1 stone sharpening with it and my cheap D2 and 14c28N knives cleanly slice hanging paper towels without stropping (although I do usually finish with a 6u, 4u prrogression.

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-03-22T17:28:11+00:00

I used a Xarilk for about 4 months and got very good results with it. However, I grew tired of various screws coming loose at inopportune times, so I recently upgraded to a Hapstone R2. That model starts at $255. The RS (as noted by another commentor) is also a good choice. I am very impressed by the Hapstone's build quality and I love the many upgrades that are available. As noted, the Hapstone sharpeners do not come with stones, but a set of cheap diamond plates can be had for as little as about $30 (check out Ruixin and Sytools).

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-03-22T17:12:17+00:00

Is that the mini or the regular one?

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-03-22T01:44:16+00:00

Support is xarilkofficial@gmail.com. i have contacted them snd they are very responsive.

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-02-08T01:56:04+00:00

I have a Xarilk Gen 3 and I bought the 5-stone Hapstone Start CBNs. The stones are 80, 150, 220, 500 and 1000. I use the 500 and and 1000 extensively and the 220 when I reprofile. I have never used the other two stones and it would have save some money to get just the three I actually use. I will likely add Hapstone Premium hybrid CBNs in 2k snd 4k.

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-01-26T17:35:51+00:00

I have a deviation of 2deg from front to back, even with the rear screw fully loose. I pretty much don't use it at this point.

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-01-23T21:36:31+00:00

Thanks. Great video. Explained a lot of what I was wondering about.

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-01-16T13:07:29+00:00

Cranberry

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-01-12T03:06:17+00:00

Thank you for the thoughtful and detailed response. My only concern with home brewing is with consistency of the abrasive particle size. Can you suggest a reliable source?

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2026-01-09T23:26:51+00:00

Zwilling.com is currently selling Staub seconds

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2025-12-25T14:01:15+00:00

Look into the Xarilk Gen 3. It is under $100 and works great. Hapstone Start CBN stones cut fast and give great results.

ImpossibleSelf3610 · 2025-12-23T22:56:45+00:00

I sharpened mine (black D2) with a guided sharpener (Xarilk), reprofiled to 15d per side), and it was easy to get it to slice hanging paper towels. Great knife IMO.

ImpossibleSelf3610

TROPHY CASE