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King KDS Whetstone 1000/6000 Grit Double-Sided

By King · Knife Sharpening · Kitchen & Cooking · More from King

  • #1000/#6000 grit combination
  • 207 x 66 x 36 mm
  • Synthetic stone, soaking type
  • Made in Japan
  • Weight approx. 1000 g

Lowest price seen
$36.99
from $36.99 at Woodcraft · Checked Oct 12, 2026

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Summary

A large Japanese combination waterstone with a #1000 sharpening face and a #6000 polishing face, sold as an inexpensive first stone for kitchen knives. It is honest on carbon and ordinary stainless steel but slow on hard, abrasion-resistant steels, where a coarser companion stone is the usual fix.

Strengths

  • Genuine Matsunaga manufacture, with King’s long reputation for carbon-steel sharpening.
  • The #1000 side is described as true to grit, with good feedback.
  • The #6000 side leaves a polished, near-mirror finish that also helps carbon steel resist rust.
  • Owners report years of use from a single stone.
  • The 1000/6000 pairing skips the middle grit most combination stones carry.

Weaknesses

  • The stone is soft and dishes over time, so it needs periodic flattening.
  • Slow on VG-10-class steel and nearly ineffective on CPM154/S30V; those need a coarser companion stone.
  • Soaking advice conflicts between retailers; one warns the #6000 side can split if soaked.
  • The stone ships without a base or holder, which is recommended for stability.
  • No manufacturer warranty terms were found for the US market.

Verified specifications

ModelKDS (King Deluxe combination stone).
Grit#1000 on the red face, #6000 on the white face; both white-alumina abrasive.
Typedouble-sided synthetic waterstone; water use, not oil.
Size207 × 66 × 36 mm (8.1 × 2.6 × 1.4 in).
Weightabout 945-1030 g depending on retailer measurement.
Hardnesssuitable for knives up to 62 HRC.
Materialsynthetic abrasive with a clay binder, baked porous composite.
Originmade in Japan by Matsunaga Stone, Osaka, in production since 1948.
Powernone; no electrical parts.
In the boxthe stone only, no base or holder.
Full research notes and sources

Soaking and daily care

Retailer instructions disagree on soaking. Most say a full 10-20 minute soak; one US retailer warns to soak only the #1000 side and never the #6000 side, because soaking it can split the stone. The middle path is to soak the #1000 side thoroughly for 10-15 minutes, keep the #6000 side out of prolonged soaking, and never leave the stone sitting in water. After use, rinse, wipe dry and air it at room temperature; storing it damp in its box risks mold.

Flattening and hard steels

This is a soft stone, and it dishes at a moderate rate, so plan on flattening it periodically with a diamond or lapping plate. It cuts White #2 carbon without trouble, works VG-10 slowly, and is overmatched by CPM154 and S30V, where a 300-500 grit stone is the standard recommendation. A ChefKnivesToGo forum member who put a heavy wave in the #1000 side leveled it back with a diamond plate, which is the normal upkeep rather than a defect.

What it costs and what else you need

Specialist retailers listed the KDS around $47 (Burrfection, 2026), $69 (Chubo Knives, 2026) and $76 (Seisuke Knife, 2026), with a Japanese listing near $47 (MeiSyou, 2026). Beyond the stone, budget for a non-slip holder (~$10-37), a flattening or diamond plate for maintenance and, optionally, a nagura stone for slurry on the #6000 side. There are no consumables besides water. Under $50 it is a strong first-stone value; $51-65 is fair to good; $66-80 is fair; above $80 the drawbacks outweigh the brand premium.

Which model this is

This is the King KDS, a 207 × 66 × 36 mm combination stone. It is not the smaller KW-65 / HT-65 “Home Stone” 1000/6000 combo (185 × 63 × 25 mm), which owners warn is worse. UPC 4963188104228; MPN 7422ah.

The Amazon listing is ASIN B01BB1ZDVW.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

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