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Work Sharp Benchtop Whetstone Knife Sharpener

Work Sharp Benchtop Whetstone Knife Sharpener

By Work · Knife Sharpening · Kitchen & Cooking

  • Dual-grit water stone: 1000 / 6000 grit
  • Removable angle guides: 15 degrees and 17 degrees
  • Abrasives: 1000 grit and 6000 grit corundum (aluminum oxide)
  • Weight: 2 lb
  • Water-control base with anti-skid feet

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Summary

A manual 1000/6000-grit aluminum-oxide waterstone in a nonslip water-catching base, with removable 15° and 17° angle guides. It is for a beginner who will soak the stone and learn freehand sharpening; it does not set the angle for you and it cannot quickly repair a badly chipped edge.

Strengths

  • An independent hands-on test sharpened a dull chef’s knife to a useful edge in about 15 minutes.
  • The magnetic 15°/17° guides give a repeatable angle reference without covering the stone.
  • Two grits in one kit: 1000 to raise a burr, 6000 to refine and remove it.
  • The nonslip base holds the stone steady and contains the slurry.
  • The stone (SA0004515) and the guides are sold separately, so the kit is serviceable.
  • A three-year consumer warranty with no registration required.

Weaknesses

  • It is not a clamp: the guides set a starting reference, not the whole edge angle.
  • Setup needs a 5–10 minute soak, plus water and slurry cleanup and eventual flattening.
  • The 1000-grit start is slow for repairing a badly chipped or nicked edge.
  • One owner reported the faces dishing quickly and the grit feeling coarser than labeled; one buyer’s 6000 face crumbled.
  • Reaching the tip of a curved chef’s knife takes practice.
  • A flattening stone is not included.

Verified specifications

ModelWSBCHWHT whetstone knife sharpener, sold by some dealers as WSWSBCHWHT.
Abrasive1000-grit coarse face and 6000-grit finishing face, aluminum oxide (corundum).
Water usefully submerge the stone for 5–10 minutes or until bubbles stop; water only, never oil and never dry.
Angle guidestwo removable magnetic guides, 15° or 17° per side.
Includedone dual-sided stone, the water-catching nonslip base, and the 15°/17° guides.
Not includeda flattening plate, the 20°/25° guides, or a strop.
Weight2 lb for the kit.
Stone faceabout 18 × 6 cm usable, 2.8 cm thick.
Warranty3 years, no registration required.
Origindesigned, calibrated and quality checked in Ashland, Oregon, using foreign components.
Full research notes and sources

What it is and how it works

This is a water-lubricated bench stone, not an electric pull-through. You soak the 1000 side, raise a full-length burr on both sides, then move to the 6000 side for alternating light strokes to refine the edge and remove the burr. The two magnetic guides sit at the ends of the stone and give a 15° or 17° reference; the manual suggests 15° for Eastern kitchen knives and 17° for common kitchen and folding knives. Removing the guides lets an experienced sharpener work freehand.

GearJunkie’s hands-on test used the 17° reference on a dull chef’s knife, found the 1000 side cut quickly, and produced a usefully sharp edge in about 15 minutes, though the tip took extra work; the writer attributed the trouble to technique. On the negative side, one owner in an r/sharpening thread said the faces dished quickly, the feedback was poor and the labels felt more like 500/1200, and a buyer of the replacement stone reported the 6000 face was falling apart and received a new one from Work Sharp. Those are single reports, not a defect rate.

Parts and running costs

Nothing about the sharpener is powered, so electricity and subscriptions are zero. The genuine replacement 1000/6000 stone, SA0004515, lists at $26.95; the 15°/17° guides, SA0004409, and the optional 20°/25° set, SA0004389, each list at $10.95. A flattening stone is not included: a Naniwa A-102 220-grit lapping stone runs $25.99 at Sharpening Supplies. Spread a $39.95 kit over five years and it costs about $7.99 a year before shipping; the stone is the only real consumable.

Warranty and returns

Work Sharp lists a 3-year consumer warranty on this model and states that no registration is required. Support runs through online chat or the website form, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific. The company’s return policy allows 60 days for an unused item in its original packaging with a $5 restocking fee, waived for accepted defect claims. The stone is a wear item, so normal abrasive consumption is not an indefinite replacement promise.

Is it worth it?

Work Sharp lists the kit at $54.95 direct, while KnifeCenter has it at $39.95, SCHEELS at $39.99 and Montana Knife Company at $49.95. At $35 or less delivered it is an attractive first stone; $36–42 is a fair normal price given the guides and the base; $43–50 competes with a $42 Shapton Pro 1000, which needs no soaking, and a $36.99 King 1000/6000 stone that lacks the integrated guides. Above $50, the $59.95 Work Sharp Benchstone adds coarse 320/600 diamond plates and dry use.

Which model this is

This page covers the Work Sharp Whetstone Knife Sharpener, SKU WSBCHWHT, a 1000/6000 waterstone kit. It is not the Benchstone WSBCHBSS, which uses 320/600 diamond plates and a ceramic face, and not Work Sharp’s clamped Precision Adjust system.

Sources

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