High-quality sharpening stones allow you to repair blade damage and quickly produce a sharper cutting edge. But for most woodworkers, sharpening is a lot like going to the dentist. Nobody likes it and a lot of us avoid it, but at some point, you just have to grin and bear it. Sorry, I couldn't resist. While you may not find the process of sharpening enjoyable, when you have a system that works fast and produces tools sharp enough to shave the eyebrows off of a mosquito the whole process becomes much more tolerable. This is where Pride Abrasives Waterstones can help.
Pride Abrasives has over 40 years of experience making the highest quality waterstones in Bristol, Wisconsin. We put our heads together with the folks at Pride Abrasives to make a complete sharpening system specifically for woodworkers. The Pride Abrasives 6-Pc. Master Sharpener's Package (101-427) gives you everything you need to take your dull and damaged edges to razor-sharp perfection at an unbeatable price.
This Infinity Tools exclusive package includes four waterstones; an individual 220, 1000, and 3000 grit waterstone, and a 6000/10,000 grit combination waterstone. It also includes an extra-large 6" x 10" Dual Grit Flattening Stone and a Deluxe Waterstone Holder (101-461), giving you a way to securely hold and support your waterstones while sharpening. Each stone comes in a wooden storage box with a laser-engraved lid, making it easy to stay organized.
The 220, 1000, and 3000 grit waterstones work extremely fast when it's time to repair damaged edges or flatten the back of brand new chisels and plane irons. Pride Abrasives makes these stones extra-thick, ensuring outstanding longevity. Compared to other waterstones, I find Pride Abrasives' offerings to be more wear-resistant and have a harder feel. Ultimately, this means Pride Abrasives waterstones last longer and require less flattening during each sharpening session.
The 6000/10,000 Combination Grit Waterstone (101-443) can only be described as the ultimate finishing stone. Both sides have an excellent feel that is nice and hard, and lets you know it is cutting. There is no feeling that the blade is skating or slipping along, it provides confidence with each stroke. Many will find the edge produced by the 6000 grit surface perfectly acceptable for most chiseling and planing applications. As you would expect, it will leave a slight wire edge hanging to be wiped away on a strop or with the first cutting stroke. Next step is to enjoy how quickly the 10,000 grit surface does its magic, bringing all but the most utilitarian edges to the next level and removing any hint of a wire edge.
The Pride Abrasives Large Dual Grit Flattening Stone (101-447) is unlike anything else on the market. First, its sheer size makes flattening your waterstones extremely fast and helps ensure that the flattening stone itself stays flat. One side of this stone is 120 grit and the other is 320 grit. The 120 grit side lets you flatten all of your waterstones quickly and the 320 grit side is ideal for flattening 3000 grit and finer waterstones. The smaller scratch pattern left on these polishing waterstones means more steel is in contact with the stone, so you get a faster and more consistent polishing action.
Our Deluxe Waterstone Holder (101-461) is a perfect fit for the Pride 8"x 3" waterstones. It provides a secure, slip-free grip on the stone so that you don't have to worry about things sliding around while you are sharpening. It also lifts your stone up off the table surface roughly 7/8", providing clearance for chisel handles and your knuckles while sharpening. The Deluxe Waterstone Holder will work with sharpening stones of any width and from 5-1/2" to 8-1/2" in length. For unobstructed sharpening, the stone needs to be 5/16" thick or thicker, definitely not a problem with any of the watersones in this package.
One of my favorite things about these Pride Abrasives waterstones is that they can be stored in water. Most other man-made water stones that require soaking before use need to be removed from the water and stored dry, forcing you to wait 15-30 minutes before you can start sharpening. Fortunately, this is not the case with Pride Abrasives waterstones. Just add a drop or two of bleach to your soaking water to prevent the growth of bacteria and all your Pride Abrasives waterstones will be ready to go whenever you need to sharpen.
