IMANISHI Arashiyama #6000

My experience is based on sharpening wood-working hand-tools. I chose this stone specially for it's good price/value ratio. I am happy with it - it does what i expected. Maybe bit coarser than other 6000 stones, but still, when sharpening timber framing tools this is the finest stone i use. For fine joinery or smoothing planes i polish after wards with natural stones from Wästikivi. I have been impressed, how fast it is. After the first stroke, there are these black marks on the stone. One thing bit disturbing is, that it might bit 'stick' or 'suck' while using with large surfaces (back side of handplanes or large chisels or slicks). It then might start to 'jump' or 'flatter'. Many fine stones show this. With little slurry on it, bit more water and less pressure this problem decreases and i come well along. If you want to see it in action, sharpening a large timber frame chisel, you can use following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvWkMcsf4oY&ab_channel=littleforest I like the good descriptions on Hiomakivi.fi and the fair prices. And if there still is a question left, there are helpful answers coming back from the shop owner. How good, that there still are these little shops with real people working, who obviously like what they are doing - Kiitos :-)

Good stone, cuts any steel, good polish, but tactile feedback is lacking. It is too mute for my taste, feels somewhat like rubbing a steel on a plastic surface.

Fast, creamy stone with a good feedback. Cuts nice and leaves a clean polished edge. Use it for sharpening, not polishing. When you get to work on this stone, it’s easy to understand why it’s so praised.

Great medium-hard stone with excellent, buttery feel, particularly when used with nagura/ slurry. Bought it as a stepping stone to the Kitayama 8000 for bevel polishing - great results if you go for a kasumi finish, i.e. don't expect a mirror. Good edge for knives you don't want to take to a higher grit (like your all-purpose bunka or santoku) where the main aim is a little toothiness and edge retention rather than ultimate sharpness. Tested with white paper # 1 & 2 as well as blue paper # 2. Soaked for about 15 mins prior to first use, afterwards splash&go. No load-up issues as far as I can see. - The Arashiyama 6000 fulfils all my expectations and is very pleasurable to work on. Apart from all of that it is probably the cheapest 6000 stone on the market - very good value for money!

Prima polijst steen. Al vind ik hem behoorlijk zacht qua materiaal en daardoor niet vergevingsgezind als je het mes niet correct houdt. Maar eens je de techniek beter onder de knie hebt is het resultaat een vlijmscherp mes.

Best 6k, buy it, love it.

I started sharpening for about a year now, Japanese chisels and plane blades with the Shapton professional. These are technically great stones, but I also find them difficult for a beginner when sharpening tools freehand (lack of skill surely, and the feeling…). I have no direct comparison, it is my first #6000, I use it as splash & go and I was really surprised how pleasant it can be to sharpen with it. Really great stone, it will make a good job for a long time. Thanks!

As a beginner I can say that it is a wonderful stone, I am very happy that I accepted the seller's suggestion and bought this stone.

Well, as the name suggests, Arashiyama is sort of mythical stone. This stone is best on its performance and feedback from all 6000 grit stones that I tryed. For me this is a true magic. In my stone collection takes a special place.

The best 6k - no ifs and buts.