Outstanding Ceramic StoneI'm just a home kitchen cook but own a lot of knives and enjoy sharpening my own . This is a Shapton Professional Ceramic Stone 1K which can be used to sharpen kitchen knives and by its self will produce a pretty decent edge . It will work on both Carbon and Stainless knives. Shapton also makes a glass backed stone 1K which is a little softer than this and may cut a little but not much faster (more expensive though plus you will need a base etc) . The ceramic is three times as thick in the Pro stone when compared to the glass backed stone . But don't drop the Pro model on a hard surface since it will break easier than the glass backed one . I know that since I own both stones . If you want a polished edge you can go to a K5 stone and if you want a K8 stone after that for a mirror edge . But you don't have too . The difference is, if you have good steel, going from an edge that will shave hair off fairly well to an edge that I say would let you shave the skin off, one layer at a time, if you wanted. Haaa This stone comes with a plastic storage box and the top serves as a base for the stone while sharpening, the bottom of it is vented so the stone can dry in storage. . You don't soak these in water, just splash some on it and go to work, adding more with your fingers as needed . When done to clean the slurry off, NEVER use bleach, kitchen detergent etc., you can use Bar Keepers Friend Powder and rinse well to remove the dark slurry . Dry then put back in the plastic storage box. The reason I explained that is, if you order direct from a Japanese Dealer while cheaper, the instruction will be in Japanese . I did that and didn't pay extra for shipping so took about 14 days shipped by boat, which was fine since I wasn't in a rush . .11