SpydercoTri-Angle White Sharpening Stone with Ultra-Fine-Grit for Professional-Grade Finishing and Polishing - 204UF1

I am a big fan of the Spyderco Sharpmaker system. I have used the Lansky system, a random crockstick system, Japanese water stones, ceramic/glass stones (like the Shapton), oil stones and Arkansas stones. I haven't used the Edgepro and some of the higher-end systems. Regardless, truth be told, I have drank the Spyderco kool-aid and love it, my knives are laser sharp in much less time than my second favorite system, which is a progression of water and Shapton stones followed by felt/leather strop with chromium oxide.So that said... I had the Sharpmaker basic kit for a while, and was reading about these ultrafine stones. The fine stones already got my better knives to pop hairs right off my arm, and my $30 Victorinox chef's knife will slice bread as well as any scalloped/serrated slicer, without crushing the bread at all and producing almost no crumbs. Veggies and chicken and other products simply don't stand a chance, every knife in my drawer will destroy them and stay sharp for weeks, even with heavy use on NSF plastic cutting boards. I've sharpened a few dozen knives and scissors and other implements for my friends, and they are amazed.So I'm reading about these ultrafine stones and had to try them out, see if they can get an edge polish equivalent to what I was achieving with much more time and effort on flat stones.Well, the hype is true. These are the real deal Holyfield. With a light touch these stones brought out a wicked sharp edge that is almost too eager to slice through anything within reach. Or maybe that's me. Just kidding. Actually, not. I had way too much fun shaving newsprint, push cutting through corrugated cardboard, making paperthin cucumber wafers, shredding my junk mail, slicing cleanly through rope, and trying out this new, sharp, durable edge on everything I could afford to have two of. hahaNow this all begs the question, do you need a knife this sharp? That's a personal decision. For utility work, I'd say probably not. For industrial work, be it cutting vinyl tile or carpet or something like that, yeah it would be useful. For a butcher or wood carver or something of that nature, yes. So it really depends on your blades and what you do with them. I do believe that I can polish the edge a bit more with felt or with micron paste on horsehide to strop, which is something you would want with, say, a straight razor, which can basically never be "too sharp," as the sharper it is the less effort and pressure required.For less than an additional $30 to an already outstanding system that's under $50, I think it is money well spent. Fact is most people won't use these ultrafine stones on most of their knives all too often, so they'll last forever.Downsides? Well I certainly wouldn't drop one, as I am guessing they shatter quite easily. I do like how they are sold individually, so if one chips or breaks on you, can you replace just the one. They are easy to clean and come in a little plastic packing tube (mine did) with end caps to protect it.Some people might have a tough time getting the stone into their Sharpmaker base. Try reversing it. One side is painted red (on mine). Put that end into the base.Hope it helps!

Been using the triangle sharpner for 3 years. Results were adequate, shaving sharp. Then read the review on this once. How such a frivolous additional stone could be justify. Price felt right, only bought one.Return on investment is phenomenal. Close to mirror polish finish, stroke 30 for 5 minutes, stroke 40 for 1 minute seems to give the best results with a few drops of water to make the edge slide against the stone.I thought I once knew what cutting meant. This little stone redefined that word.Proven result on my classic chef knife. Effortless motion, vegetables are now properly sliced, just like in the old japanese Iron Chef video! It really make you feel that way, as the cutting stroke requires less energy, you are cutting faster with greater accuracy and precision. The result on D2 steel benchmade 710 is quite remarkable, no word can describe it, I guess the harder the steel, the greater the result. The stone came new with no chip. Haven't had the chance to use my paring knife yet, wonder if it would have as much wowness on it.

Spyderco Ultra Fine Triangle StoneAlthough the actual "grit" equivalency for the Ultra Fine stones are hotly debated, I couldn't tell a significant difference from touch versus the Spyderco Fine triangle stones that are included in the Triangle Sharpmaker kit. That said, when using the stones, the Ultra Fine does seem to be smoother to the touch of a blade versus the Fine stones. I couldn't really find an instruction set for the Ultra Fine stones, so I used them as a "third stage" with the medium and fine grit stones that are included in the Sharpmaker kit.First off is the quantity. The stones are sold individually, so one must purchase 2 of the stones for each Sharpmaker kit. They are shipped in a clear tube to prevent damage. I noticed that my stones came with small chips which could be felt with a blade as I used them. I scrubbed the two stones together to smooth it out and it seems to have helped. These are extremely hard ceramic stones with an equivalent grit of at least 2000 or higher. They are very easy to use with the Sharpmaker kit and will give that razor-like edge to most blades.I used the Ultra Fine to put the finishing touches on a Spyderco Tenacious, a meat cleaver, pocket knife, and a letter opener. The Sharpmaker kit worked well enough on its own, but the Ultra Fine put that extra fine razor edge on the blades. Some people may not care about this part, so the standard Sharpmaker kit should suffice for most users.Overall: 5/5 stars, works as advertised, but not quite mandatory for everyone.

Good sticks.