Shoun brand Japanese waterstones from Ice Bear are made with durable aluminium oxide and a slightly harder wearing bond than traditional Japanese waterstones.
The stones cut remarkably quickly, the grades are a step or two coarser than you would expect from traditional Japanese stones and I would still recommend using a fine traditional stone for final polishing, but for everything up to that point they are supremely efficient.
For freehand sharpening the Shoun stones are easier to use than normal Japanese waterstones, if you are transitioning from oilstones the same techniques will work, just use a little less downward pressure and let the stone do the work.
Shoun stones hold a lot of water and need to be submerged for a few minutes before use (until the bubbles stop) the surface should be kept wet in use with regular spritzing.
The 1000 grit Shoun waterstone is the most frequently used, hence it is offered either as a single stone and as one side of the combination stones. If you find you are spending more than a couple of minutes on any sharpening stone then something's the matter, please get in touch.
180mm x 60mm x 30mm.
