Testing SUEHIRO Rika

[@sunnyday3148]

I can really see how much your skills have *giggles* sharpened over the years! GJ 🥰

[@hoggif]

Rika 5000 is a wonderful stone, when you get the factory surface broken. Some passes of something like flattening stone or Atoma diamond will do the job (or just use it for a while). Quite fast for the grit and wonderful feedback. As a new it feels like velvety but not that effective and when broken in it gets faster but maintains the "grabby" silky feeling for the most part. At least my stone needed several flattenings to get to the best of it. A light flattening did not do the job. (but it is not too large layer either). At the moment Rika 5k and Morihei 4k are the best stones I've ever tried in this grit range and I've tried quite a few. I guess if you're in a harry you might prefer splash&go like Morihei. Other than that, Rika is about as good as it gets.

[@tailibaba]

Rika was good to me. Now as you mentioned, it is too soft. To sharpen micro bevel is fine. But difficult to maintain primary edge. And the scratches on primary edge is not good. I don't have Morihei stone. But half natural stone sounds like OEM produced by Imanishi.

[@hoggif]

@@tailibaba Rika is a softer stone. It takes no bad technique. Use too much force (that is not much!) in edge leading stoke and you'll cut into it. I use very light pressure when edge leading and I have no problems with softness. Same as with any other soft stone. I can remember that when I tended to use too much pressure I hated it. As my technique evolved to using pressure mostly when edge trailing I started loving it.

[@tailibaba]

@@hoggif That's what I said, for micro bevel is fine. But for primary edge, it is not.

[@hoggif]

@@tailibaba I find it great for primary bevel too. I guess we use somehow a different technique or something if it does not work for you. For me this stone is oine of the favourites for primary adge. I tend to do micro bevel on finer stones if I do them.

[@tailibaba]

@@hoggif If you compare with Naniwa, Imanishi or even Shapton, the surface made by Suehiro (all lines) are rubbish. I never saw any sharpener from Japan using Suehiro for primary edge. Mostly Imanishi. Naniwa is great as well, maybe just expensive.

[@georgeyoung4292]

I have almost entire set of Suehiro and they are hands down the best stones on the market🙏 Cerax 320,1k Ouka 3k, Rika 5k and Junpaku 8k/W8 are simply amazing..

[@tailibaba]

You can try other brands too. Different feeling. Also good. It's always fun to play with them.

[@georgeyoung4292]

@@tailibaba I have Chosera 800# & 3000# and Shapton Pro 8k & 12k.. They are all great but there is just something about Rika and Junpaku that make me love them the most (price/performance) I just basically starting even ive been sharpening 6 years cause ive been sucked up into Edge Pro non sense and i didnt realize that free hand sharpening is just far more pleasurable.. Thank you🙏

[@tailibaba]

lol thank you

[@mohammadmg2015]

Hi, i hope you are doing well I just start my kitchen collection and i want to buy more luxuary knives in future ! i was thinking about Rika 5000 and Arashiyama 6000 ! because my knives wont get dull ! i think for now i am okay with one stone what do you suggest ? (its okay if you have any suggestion beside than these i said)

[@UseVisine]

Thanks for sharing, just sharing my experience too. For my kitchen knives, I stop at a 3k ouka or naniwa pro. The edge lasts longer for me when cutting meats. Of course 5k will work, I just have to use the honing rod more often. But overall... I LOVE the suehiro stones!:-)

[@tailibaba]

Stainless Steel needs micro chips for meat. Carbon Steel no need. Naniwa Pro is much better. Harder the stone you use, better sharpeness you get. You will feel it in near future.

[@KennyT187]

@@tailibaba I mostly sharpen cheapish kitchen knives, would you suggest getting the 3000 grit Ouka instead of the Rika? I have a Cerax 1010 and love the feel to it and I'm currently balancing out my options about which stone to get to replace my cheap 3000 grit stone which seems to be even coarser than the Cerax 1010 !

[@tailibaba]

But if sharpening cheap knives, Ouka is good enough.

[@KennyT187]

@@tailibaba Thanks! Also would you recommend the Cerax-CR 6000 over the Rika 5000? Sorry, I'm just about to make an order and it's difficult to decide 😅

[@tailibaba]

These two makes no difference actually. I even feel the fomular is the same.

[@jjshane72]

I recently got one and this is my experience. I like the feeling and finish I get sharpening on the Rika, I have a wide bevel Stainless clad Blue 2 Gyuto and it leaves a very nice contrast. But the issue I have with it is that it's soft, too soft, it dishes very quickly and if not flattened right away it'll take very long to afterwards. I kinda regret buying this and thought I should have gotten the Gesshin 6000 Resinoid from JKI instead

[@tailibaba]

Rika is not good for primary edge. Not only soft, but also uneven scratches. Gesshin is made by Imaniahi. Just get Imanishi is fine. Arashiya 6k, same. Whichever is cheaper.

[@jjshane72]

@@tailibaba buyer's remorse, I probably won't be able to get a new stone for quite some time. I can still use it for wide bevel, but just it'll significantly speed up the wear. I'll probably only use it after I thinned my knife from now on

[@owo7094]

I can confirm that Suehiro is too soft, at least for single edge knife. You need to flatten it HARD to get it flat. It'll show a curve after just few passes. I got the Cerax #320, #1000 and Rika #5000, all are soft I used half of the stone with one session of creating a beta togi edge (from hamaguri factory edge, but was a little microbevel) Took about 1.5h (with some pauses in between) to get a full beta togi edge on 270mm yanagiba (blue steel #2) half of the #320 gone (with flattening of course) I regret buying this stone because of how soft it is, but #1000 and #5000 do leave a quite razor sharp edge (need to scrape on jeans to remove microburrs lol)

[@tailibaba]

Suehiro is not a good choice for single bevel knives. All line-up!

[@tjay1305]

Why beta togi tho? I prefer hamaguri. In fact with a wide double bevel I’ve experienced less food stiction with a very gentle curve - making the knife cut more efficient

[@owo7094]

@@tjay1305 i didn't feel too much food sticking with betatogi, I prefer betatogi for being easy and fast to sharp but there are some low spots on most knifes that can be noticeable (even high end, not honyaki since I've never tried but tried Sakai Takayuki White Tiger, bottom had low spot, now got the Shiraki still the same, Suisin had less

[@JDStone20]

Nice work! Suehiro makes great stones. Was the strop you used just plain leather?

[@tailibaba]

Thank you, sir! It's just plain leather, but the rough side. I should get the fine side as well.

[@tailibaba]

I start to make my own leather strop. 240 x 90 x 35mm. With two layers of leather. Raw leather 3mm thickness underneath a colored leather 2mm thickness.

[@hanzhongebox]

hi, would you please give a list all base/stand accessories you used.

[@MeshRoun]

I would be interested too!

[@tailibaba]

Hi! Plastic Box 415 x 312 x 150mm + Suehiro TDG-44

[@tailibaba]

Hi! Plastic Box 415 x 312 x 150mm + Suehiro TDG-44

[@Demetrius16]

Hi, what is better Rika5000 or Cerax6000?

[@tailibaba]

Hi, both very soft. You can try Naniwa, Imanishi or Suehiro Debado LD.

[@Demetrius16]

@@tailibaba Thanks, I have Naniwa stone it works slow with hard steel(59-64hrc).

[@tailibaba]

You mean Naniwa Professional 5000 grid? I've been using it a lot lately for AS HRC63-65. It works pretty well.

[@oldwolf6091]

Do you use the nap side of leather?

[@tailibaba]

Yes. nap side is better. I am now using nap side only. It has to be soft.

[@oldwolf6091]

@@tailibaba Okay.

[@tailibaba]

@@oldwolf6091 😁

[@Alex25CoB]

Nap is the smooth side? Or rough?@@tailibaba

[@tailibaba]

I like rough side

[@stankolodin5586]

The video goes a little slow, but not being I a hurry is also a good thing.

[@tailibaba]

Thank you!

[@eugenemancirin3590]

Its better not to hurry with sharp pieces of steel, it can hurt. Especially with expensive pieces of steel and expensive stones. It can hurt wallet. We are made in weird way. Our moves can be fast and strong, or precise. Precision is much more important than speed in sharpening.

[@tailibaba]

lol