KINGDeluxe No. 300 (Non-Absorbent), 8.1 x 2.6 x 13.4 inches (207 x 66 x 34 cm), Grit Size: #300, For Rough Sharpening

Came wrapped up nicely, no damage to box or stone. The stone came dead flat, edges beveled, and has a clean, course feel to the touch. I misted the stone with a spray bottle and the water slowly absorbed. But after a second misting, the water stayed on top.I grabbed a 25 year old wustof 8" chef knife that's been through heavy use in a few restaurants and commercial kitchens. It was plenty sharp, but could use a fresh initial bevel.10 minutes and I had a perfect grind on both sides. The stone would muddy up nicely, didn't clog at all, didn't wear at all (3 swipes on a diamond plate cleaned the pencil off), and just washed off clean and dried quickly. I finished the knife on a 1k synthetic and then a 3k natural, and it is very nice.I was really impressed with the stone! Cuts quick like most decent synthetic stones, seems to wear slowly, and because it's "non-absorbent " , it takes way less water to use, and cleanup is simple and fast...This is my go-to stone for rough grinds, resetting a bevel, and any chip removal I may have. Just a damn good stone for the cost. Very pleased with this purchase, I definitely recommend for your rough stone in your kit!

Quick: Get this stone, it can replace everything up to a 600-level stone. It is hard, cuts super steels and high HRC, it can get a fine edge if you use light pressure, and could hypothetically replace all your stones if you only needed a toothy edge. It will shave hair after this stone, and it cuts faster than a Chosera 600.I got this King 300 stone, hoping it would be another great value from King, and it exceeded my expectations. I have sharpened and/or repaired chips in at least 10 knives on this so far. It is a fantastic stone. It is a hard stone, no real mud build-up. It cuts fast, using a push-pull technique from tip to heel in a continuous edge-wise slide across the length, using the top-to-bottom of the stone for each section before moving on, I got a burr in 1-2 passes on everything but my VG-10 knife, that took 2-3. I was re-beveling it to a shallower bevel, so take that number as an excessive amount of sharpening. I am sure I could have got it in less if I wasn't excessively beveling. I even sharpened my Cold Steel Barong Machete on this little thing and it'll cut paper with the stropped finish this stone leaves! for the $30, this is great! No noticeable dishing of the stone at this time, and I have checked it. still flat, still cuts great, and no load. I thought the Barong, being 1055 steel tempered to a lower Rockwell, might clog it up, but a quick rinse and a couple of light passes with a rust eraser, and it looks new.CONS: The color of the stone seems to mask any swarf. You can see the knife shavings, but barely. I thought at first there wasn't any stone swarf, but the marathon session on the machete showed a little stone swarf buildup. Still hard to see the buildup so adjusting for it is tough. But it really cuts fast, and if you rinse between sides, it won't matter much. Not many other cons except it is close in price to the Shapton Pro 120, which is supposed to also be a good stone, but will wear fast. This does wear down, after many sharpenings, I have found this to wear a bit, but it still cuts D2, M390, VG-10, and anything less difficult with ease.For those who doubt the Splash-N-Go nature of this stone, if you look at the photos, you can see where I put a layer of water on top of the stone, came back 3 minutes later, and the stone was drying on the edge, and was dry in the middle, and there is still a perfectly mirror-like layer of water standing on top of the stone. It doesn't get much more splash-n-go than that. I still soak it for about 30 seconds, just to make sure the thing is wet where it needs to be. It regularly dries while using it, and only the surface where water keeps contacting stays damp. It dries in a matter of hours. Because of the barely noticeable slowdown when using my 60-62 HRC VG-10 knife, I would reduce this rating to 4.5 stars. As I cannot, I rounded up. This is a great stone. If you are looking for a value coarse stone, this is a fantastic one, just buy it!King: When can I get my Deluxe 1200 in a splash-n-go like this?? the thing I hate most about my 1200 is the long soak and long drying time (and narrow width), so getting the same kind of finish from a splash-n-go that wears as slowly as this one would be amazing! especially if you can keep the amazing price points King is well known and regarded for.UPDATE: have used BD1n as well on this, it is fantastic. I cannot say enough good things about this stone. Out of the box I used it to flatten my 1200 Deluxe King, which it did nicely, even if it was just out of level by the thickness of some printer paper, it served to flatten the 300 stone enough to get the outer layer off and the real stone working. My outdoor knives love this stone, as a quick strop after this stone leaves a nice toothy edge for camping type use and still keeps it sharp enough to easily cut gauze and other critical tasks. I am contemplating buying another one just to have it forever.Update 7/2019: This stone keeps amazing me! My M390 blade hasn't worn it down, and it can get so smooth from stropping on it that is is smoother than my Chosera 600! I thoroughly enjoy using this stone, and its convenience as well as usability. I seriously could probably use only this stone and it would make a knife sharp enough for most anyone if they weren't a sushi chef or something. I used a kitchen knife sharpened only on this and final strop on newsprint for over 2 weeks in my kitchen. A lovely, lovely stone

King has a long history of making good waterstones. They are rarely considered the "best money can buy" but there is not doubt they have always provided great value and have made many very good stones.When it comes to the coarse waterstone lineup, King really nailed it though, as their King 300 stands out among the best IMHO. This 300 grit King Deluxe really stacks up well against many of the stones considered higher quality overall. For instance - I own the Cerax 320, a Sigma Power 400, a Chosera 400 and this King 300. I think the King is every bit as good, if not better, than these other stones for many reasons.The Cerax is a fast cutting stone with good feedback, but it is very soft and requires constant flattening and attention. The Sigma Power is a harder stone, does not dish as readily, but the feedback is not great for flattening plane blade backs for instance and it loads up quickly in those cases. I use the Sigma Power 400 more for setting bevels on chisels, planes and knives more than flattening blade backs. The Chosera 400 is also a good stone, but I prefer the Chosera 800 and 3000 more than their 400 - I think all three of the stones mentioned here (the King, Sigma and Cerax) are a better coarse stone.The King 300 - first off it does not wear or dish quickly. It is hard - VERY hard. But it is also a fast cutter, with good feedback for a coarse stone. It really feels like you are taking metal off, and it does not load up quickly like the SP 400. Plus, it is not soft like the Cerax 320, so there is less mess. It excels at flattening plane and chisel backs, and just as competent at bevel setting. This stone really does it all well.As far as preparation / soaking for use - the King 300 can benefit from a quick soak. It is deemed a splash and go, but using it dry with just a splash initially is not enough, the surface needs a fair bit of "splashing" before it is ready ---- therefore I give it a quick 10 min soak, then splash as needed after that. Many splash and go's require a quick soak, it is common.The one thing to pay close attention to with the King 300 - it is tough to flatten because it is dense and hard. Moreso than many other comparable stones. The Cerax 320 is easy to flatten, the SP 400 is a little tougher, but not too bad The King 300 - many like to use loose grit to flatten it, others swear by sandpaper on a flat surface. I personally have tried every method, and have had good luck with the DMT Dialflat 120 (XXC). But it is not easy, and takes a little more work.Overall a great stone, I have no problem recommending this stone to anyone in the market for a coarse stone - especially if you are in search of something that can flatten blade backs and not dish quickly. This stone excels at that.Highly recommended. Thanks for reading.