Gesshin 1200 Resinoid Stone

The Gesshin 1200 is a resinoid based stone with a white alumina oxide abrasive.   This stone is on the soft side, very fast cutting, and leaves a nice even finish. The edge has a good amount of bite for kitchen use, though many people choose to follow up the grit range with something higher grit. This stone works great for single bevel and double bevel knives alike. It cuts very well on all kinds of steel I have tested it on, from white steel to ZDP-189. It works best when you allow the togidoro (mud and swarf from sharpening) to build up a tiny bit. This stone easily cleans up scratches from coarse stones (400-600 grit), and I have even used it directly from a 220 Gesshin stone before with no trouble.

Like all resinoid based stones, this stone needs to be cared for carefully, especially when considering drying.  Resinoid based stones are not very porous, which often causes them to be marketed as splash-and-go.  However, some water does soak in.  My preference is to soak this stone permanently, as soaking helps soften the stone, increases cutting speed, and reduces loading on the stone surface.  If you do soak the stone, or if you think any water has soaked in, and you decided you want to dry the stone out for any reason, you will need to make sure the stone dries as slowly as possible, to help make sure the outer part of the stone does not dry more quickly than the inner part of the stone.  Making sure the stone dries in a cool, well-ventilated, dry area, out of direct sunlight is best.  It also helps to wrap the stone with a damp towel to slow the drying process further.  If unaccounted for, drying too quickly can cause cracks to develop in the stone. If cracks do develop, mounting the stone to a base can help extend the life of your stone.