A whetstone grit refers to the coarseness of that particular stone. Each grit grade sharpens a particular knife differently and the lower its grade, the coarser the stone. Whetstone Grit grade can be classified into three categories as follows:
- Coarse stones: these are stones with a grit grade number of less than 1000. They are used on damaged knives as it will rid of any chips or nicks on the blade easily. Such stones should not be utilized for any general sharpening due to their abrasiveness, unless, the knives are extremely dull.
- Medium stones: these are stones whose grit range is 1000 to 3000. Stones whose grit range is below 2000 should not often be used for sharpening since they can make the knife wear down easily. Sharpening stones from 2000-3000 grit grades can be used for regular sharpening of knives since they are less coarse. However, it is wise to note that they were not designed to maintain the knife edge but to sharpen.
- Finishing stones: There general range number is between 4000 to 8000 grit grades. A grit range of 4000 is fine enough to bridge the gap between sharpening and finishing. However, a gritstone of 5000 is for finer finishing. On the other hand, 6000 or 8000 grit stones are for super fine finishing. In the case of a meat cutting knife, a gritstone of 6000 is enough while for fruits or vegetables it's recommendable to utilize 8000 grit stone.
