Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Derek....I wanted to let the tread develop before asking your opinion of the Sigma Power 13000 (and 6000 if you have one)....I know you like the Sigma 1200 and I got one from Stu....but I'm really interested in your impressions of these other stones.

Hi Roger

I am not an expert opinion on waterstones. All I can say is that the Sigma make sharpening some really hard, abrasion-resistant steel (such as M4 and 3V) an easy chore. They work as easily on O1 and A2. They get the blades sharp.

The 1200 Sigma is probably a little faster than the 1000 Pro Shapton. I can't say for sure. When lapping backs of O1 blades, the Shapton was able to create a mirror shine where the Sigma could not (but that is not a measure of sharpness). The 6000 Sigma by far eclipses the Shapton 5000, and the 12000 Shapton and 13000 Sigma are very similar - until you need to polish the tough steels. On O1, and possibly even A2, you may not see much difference.

Regards from Perth

Derek