The Chosera is now a Japanese Domestic Market product only. It is is essentially the same as the PRO line (colour is identical between the Chosera and PRO, speed and feedback is also idencitcal) but thicker and comes with a Nagura (flattening stone), it represent a much better value than the new PRO, that is why the Japanese keeps the Chosera for their domestic market but not the PRO. K&S is determined to bring you the best from Japan.
The Chosera (Cho: Super; Sera: Ceramic) stones are the best ceramic stones offered by Naniwa. These stones are designed for professionals who put the highest daily demands on their knives. Overall, these stones are best for those who don't have a lot of time to spend and need to quickly and cleanly sharpen their knives. Every Chosera sharpening stone is delivered with a special Nagura stone (67 x 49 x 25 mm) to put a fine sharpening paste on the surface of the Chosera stones during use. This 400 grit is excellent for establishing a new bevel angle or removing chips from the blade. Naniwa claims these are splash-and-go stones, but users say that soaking for a few minutes can further improve the sharpening quality.
Size
The Naniwa Chosera Stones we carry are quite generously sized. The actual dimensions are 210 x 70 x 25mm This size is just about perfect for most knives and tools. The thickness of the stone undoubtedly adds to the incredible long wear of these stones. (Note: The 10,000 grit is actually a little thicker at 30mm or 1 3/16" thick.)
Grit
We stock the Naniwa Chosera Waterstones in the following grits: 400, 1000, 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000. While it isn’t necessary to own every single grit, we do recommend at least three to cover your coarse, fine and polishing needs. A good three grit set is the 400, 1000 and 5,000. The 10,000 grit is costly to produce and is therefore more expensive. If your budget allows, the 10,000 grit Chosera is a really great polishing stone for any edge. This high-end stone will quickly become a prized possession in the hands of an experienced sharpener. You'll truly appreciate the consistent feel and fast-cutting that all Chosera stones offer.
Bonding
What makes the Chosera different from other waterstones is the bonding. They call it Magnesia Bonding in comparison to their Resin bonding on the Naniwa Superstones. One of the main features of this process is greater density and consistency of finely graded abrasive particles. This gives the stone the fastest sharpening capability among our waterstones. Experienced users can really feel a difference with these stones.
Use
Soaking Chosera stones is optional. If you do soak, we recommend no more than 15 minutes. After soaking or wetting, use the included Nagura Stone to get the stone ready for sharpening. Now your stone is ready for sharpening. We do recommend keeping a spray bottle handy to keep the stones wet while sharpening.
Nagura Stone Included
An artificial Nagura Stone is included with each stone. The Nagura Stone is used to maintain the surface and to make a slurry prior to sharpening. It will also help maintain the flatness between lapping. Since each stone comes with its own Nagura Stone, you don’t have to worry about sharing grits with your coarse and fine stones.
Care
Like many products designed for the high-end user, the Naniwa Chosera stones require more care than your average stone. Unlike some waterstones, these are not to be left in water, leaving them in water will affect the bonding. When you are done, just let them air dry. Don’t try to speed up the drying process by exposing them to heat, just let them air dry so they can dry evenly. Store the stones only after they are completely dry. If this extra care is too much for you, we suggest you choose a different type of stone.
Includes
Each Naniwa Chosera Stone includes the selected stone and the Nagura Stone in a cardboard box. When purchased from us we also take the extra step to give it our "royal treatment" in packaging. These stones are valuable and we want to ensure that every stone arrives at your location in the same condition it was in when it left the factory.
