The Bester 1200 Grit Water Stone is a strong performing medium grit stone that combines fast cutting speed with a refined finish that is slightly finer than a typical 1000 grit. It requires a thorough soak before use, after which it cuts quickly and develops a smooth, even slurry that helps refine edges efficiently. This stone offers excellent tactile feedback with a distinctive feel that many sharpeners appreciate.
During use, the Bester 1200 forms a wide grey slurry within a few minutes and benefits from adding small amounts of water to keep the surface active. It excels at removing heavy scratches left by coarser stones and evens out rough bevels all the way to the tip of the edge. Durable and slow wearing, it delivers consistent results across a wide range of steels and represents excellent value for a mid grit stone.
Care Instructions: Soak thoroughly before use. Keep the surface wet during sharpening and add water as needed to maintain slurry. Do not permasoak. Allow the stone to dry fully between sessions.
Brand: Bester Stone Type: Water Stone Grit: 1200 Dimensions: 212 x 75 x 25 mm
During use, the Bester 1200 forms a wide grey slurry within a few minutes and benefits from adding small amounts of water to keep the surface active. It excels at removing heavy scratches left by coarser stones and evens out rough bevels all the way to the tip of the edge. Durable and slow wearing, it delivers consistent results across a wide range of steels and represents excellent value for a mid grit stone.
Care Instructions: Soak thoroughly before use. Keep the surface wet during sharpening and add water as needed to maintain slurry. Do not permasoak. Allow the stone to dry fully between sessions.
Reviews
17 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Bester 1200 on tools.Posted By: ward c wilcox
39 people found this review helpful
This one requires a good soaking and then it is cutting quickly and setting up a nice even slurry. I have 8 medium stones from 800 to 1500. The Bester 1200 leaves a pretty smooth finish, finer than a 1000. The feedback is as good as the others and it has a unique feel. For the money this 1200 is a very good value. After a few minutes it forms a wide grey slurry and benifits from a few drops of water to keep it moving. I had a very scratchy bevel on a pane blade from honing on a coarse stone. The Bester 1200 really removed the heavy scratches right out to the tip of the edge. My 2000 stone was not really doing anything so I got good feeling using the Bester. I will continue to use this 1200 to see what it is capable of.
39 people found this review helpful
This one requires a good soaking and then it is cutting quickly and setting up a nice even slurry. I have 8 medium stones from 800 to 1500. The Bester 1200 leaves a pretty smooth finish, finer than a 1000. The feedback is as good as the others and it has a unique feel. For the money this 1200 is a very good value. After a few minutes it forms a wide grey slurry and benifits from a few drops of water to keep it moving. I had a very scratchy bevel on a pane blade from honing on a coarse stone. The Bester 1200 really removed the heavy scratches right out to the tip of the edge. My 2000 stone was not really doing anything so I got good feeling using the Bester. I will continue to use this 1200 to see what it is capable of.
Product Review
great stonePosted By: Robert - verified customer
18 people found this review helpful
I was on the fence about this stone . I go this stone because i have a king stone in the same grit and i wanted to compare the two to see which one was better. The bester 1200 is a quicker stone . the feedback is also better. I will buy this stone again when this stone runs out.
18 people found this review helpful
I was on the fence about this stone . I go this stone because i have a king stone in the same grit and i wanted to compare the two to see which one was better. The bester 1200 is a quicker stone . the feedback is also better. I will buy this stone again when this stone runs out.
Good stone but not as good as the Bester 1000Posted By: Ron
21 people found this review helpful
I bought the 1200 Bester to replace my old 1000 grit Bester. Dimensionally they are the same but the feedback is a little smoother on the 1000. The 1200 doesn't cut quite as fast as the 1000 but it does feel a little harder. If I had a choice I would spend the time to find a 1000 Bester but 1200 is almost as good.
21 people found this review helpful
I bought the 1200 Bester to replace my old 1000 grit Bester. Dimensionally they are the same but the feedback is a little smoother on the 1000. The 1200 doesn't cut quite as fast as the 1000 but it does feel a little harder. If I had a choice I would spend the time to find a 1000 Bester but 1200 is almost as good.
Nice stonePosted By: Ray Wilson - verified customer
18 people found this review helpful
I love the feed back that the Bester 1200 gives me.I am new to sharpening but this stone talks to me and lets me know what the stone and knife are telling me.It does require a long soak though and I have found that a 90 minute to two hour soak gets it done.
18 people found this review helpful
I love the feed back that the Bester 1200 gives me.I am new to sharpening but this stone talks to me and lets me know what the stone and knife are telling me.It does require a long soak though and I have found that a 90 minute to two hour soak gets it done.
Great First StonePosted By: Byron - verified customer
22 people found this review helpful
After overthinking it to death, I finally came across a guy who explained waterstones in a simple direct here's what's nice to have - but here's what you really need fashion. On that advice, I got the Bester 1200 - my first waterstone. I've sharpened everything in the shop - and all the kitchen knives. Love it! I particularly like that it can be stored in water without crumbling. I got a plastic container that's sized right for it, added water, and it's ready to go whenever needed. Do understand - I'm not one of those guys who's into sharpening perfection, micro-bevels, shaving freestanding stray hairs, etc. I just want my stuff to cut cleanly and give good results. This stone gets me that.
22 people found this review helpful
After overthinking it to death, I finally came across a guy who explained waterstones in a simple direct here's what's nice to have - but here's what you really need fashion. On that advice, I got the Bester 1200 - my first waterstone. I've sharpened everything in the shop - and all the kitchen knives. Love it! I particularly like that it can be stored in water without crumbling. I got a plastic container that's sized right for it, added water, and it's ready to go whenever needed. Do understand - I'm not one of those guys who's into sharpening perfection, micro-bevels, shaving freestanding stray hairs, etc. I just want my stuff to cut cleanly and give good results. This stone gets me that.
Chefknivestogo Order -Handling & Shipping Excellent combinationPosted By: don - verified customer
21 people found this review helpful
Bester1200 combined with 5000 or 6000 stone is the best for me combination to sharp Japanese and Western knives, which may be a little overkilled for Western knivues, but hey I like my knife's tone sharp.Good feedback, easy to lap.overall happy with this product.
21 people found this review helpful
Bester1200 combined with 5000 or 6000 stone is the best for me combination to sharp Japanese and Western knives, which may be a little overkilled for Western knivues, but hey I like my knife's tone sharp.Good feedback, easy to lap.overall happy with this product.
REALLY better than expectedPosted By: Ed Warner - verified customer
19 people found this review helpful
I purchased this as a replacement to a Norton and King 1000. This is so far ahead of those two stones. It is smooth, so smooth I had to look that I had a 1200 grit stone. I did not have to work hard with this stone has I have had to do with the other two.
19 people found this review helpful
I purchased this as a replacement to a Norton and King 1000. This is so far ahead of those two stones. It is smooth, so smooth I had to look that I had a 1200 grit stone. I did not have to work hard with this stone has I have had to do with the other two.
Good, but with reservationsPosted By: Matt - verified customer
17 people found this review helpful
This stone is a huge upgrade from my King 1000. It cuts much faster and has much better feedback. I had two issues with this stone. 1) It is really thirsty. I generally soak it for 20 minutes, but it seems like it could definitely soak longer. You have to be vigilant about keeping the stone wet. 2) It loads up really quickly. Again, you have to be vigilant with splashing the stone to battle the buildup.
17 people found this review helpful
This stone is a huge upgrade from my King 1000. It cuts much faster and has much better feedback. I had two issues with this stone. 1) It is really thirsty. I generally soak it for 20 minutes, but it seems like it could definitely soak longer. You have to be vigilant about keeping the stone wet. 2) It loads up really quickly. Again, you have to be vigilant with splashing the stone to battle the buildup.
Product ReviewPosted By: Bill B - verified customer
26 people found this review helpful
First waterstone I have ever used so take my review for what it is, a rank novices opinion. However, coming from oilstones to this is a revelation. I also have a few diamond plates, both eze lap plates of 600 and 1200. I will say that the bester 1200 is a completely different animal than the eze 1200. The finish is much better. I do understand about feedback and I think this stone has great feedback. A really nice feel in use and easy to tell when you are off angle. The sound and the feel change instantly. I am very happyso far to have made the switch and with my choice of stones. By the way, I use my stones for woodworking tools. Plane blades and chisels and the like, carbon steel and the cutting action is fine on this steel.
26 people found this review helpful
First waterstone I have ever used so take my review for what it is, a rank novices opinion. However, coming from oilstones to this is a revelation. I also have a few diamond plates, both eze lap plates of 600 and 1200. I will say that the bester 1200 is a completely different animal than the eze 1200. The finish is much better. I do understand about feedback and I think this stone has great feedback. A really nice feel in use and easy to tell when you are off angle. The sound and the feel change instantly. I am very happyso far to have made the switch and with my choice of stones. By the way, I use my stones for woodworking tools. Plane blades and chisels and the like, carbon steel and the cutting action is fine on this steel.
Product ReviewPosted By: Brad - verified customer
20 people found this review helpful
My go-to intermediate stone. Good width even for long chef's knives. An excellent cutter with decent feedback; it leaves a good working edge which can be further refined on higher grit stones. An excellent value!
20 people found this review helpful
My go-to intermediate stone. Good width even for long chef's knives. An excellent cutter with decent feedback; it leaves a good working edge which can be further refined on higher grit stones. An excellent value!
Product ReviewPosted By: Chris Morina - verified customer
24 people found this review helpful
Great stone for the price. Cuts fast and is nice and hard. One of the first stones I started with, very good by for someone looking for a first stone. Leave a good edge that doesn't need much refinement.
24 people found this review helpful
Great stone for the price. Cuts fast and is nice and hard. One of the first stones I started with, very good by for someone looking for a first stone. Leave a good edge that doesn't need much refinement.
Product ReviewPosted By: Jesse - verified customer
23 people found this review helpful
If I lost my stone collection, this would be the first stone I would buy. It's really easy to use, cuts extremely fast, and has a nice smooth feel. It doesn't need much soaking but if you leave it in water for a long time, it doesn't make the stone feel mushy. I can get my knives sharp enough using only this stone, although I prefer to use finishing stones. I can't think of a single fault with this stone.
23 people found this review helpful
If I lost my stone collection, this would be the first stone I would buy. It's really easy to use, cuts extremely fast, and has a nice smooth feel. It doesn't need much soaking but if you leave it in water for a long time, it doesn't make the stone feel mushy. I can get my knives sharp enough using only this stone, although I prefer to use finishing stones. I can't think of a single fault with this stone.
Product Review Product ReviewPosted By: Greg Pett - verified customer
17 people found this review helpful
I must admit that my sharpening skill is not equal to this stone. I started off with a bestor 1200 and this suhiro rica 5000. Yes, I do get good edges with this as a polishing stone. In the process I have given this stone divits and have not flattened it yet. Yes I need to flatten it but I am on a budget. This is a softer stone and it takes practice to be able to sharpen on it without cutting gouges in the stone. Learn your blade angles on harder stones. Lately, I have been much better at holding an angle. But I am fully willing to admit it is not the stones fault. It is my fault.So, through experience I can confidently say that learning on cheaper lesser grit stones how to hold your knife and stroke it during sharpening is invaluable. Tread gently on polishing stones as they are easier to gouge. Cheers!
17 people found this review helpful
I must admit that my sharpening skill is not equal to this stone. I started off with a bestor 1200 and this suhiro rica 5000. Yes, I do get good edges with this as a polishing stone. In the process I have given this stone divits and have not flattened it yet. Yes I need to flatten it but I am on a budget. This is a softer stone and it takes practice to be able to sharpen on it without cutting gouges in the stone. Learn your blade angles on harder stones. Lately, I have been much better at holding an angle. But I am fully willing to admit it is not the stones fault. It is my fault.So, through experience I can confidently say that learning on cheaper lesser grit stones how to hold your knife and stroke it during sharpening is invaluable. Tread gently on polishing stones as they are easier to gouge. Cheers!
Product ReviewPosted By: Greg Pett - verified customer
30 people found this review helpful
The bestor 1200 is a rock! It removes metal and is a very sturdy stone that does not wear away as much as the polishing stone that I have.I am new to sharpening but the bestor 1200 seems like a winner as it is hard, double sided, and I can leave it in a soak without having to baby sit it before sharpening.My only complaint is that I am new to sharpening and I think I remove too much metal with it. That is my fault while learning the technique. It is not the stones fault... it is mine.I am of the opinion that I was recommended a very good stone for what it is. I just have to learn to use it better.Sharpening is learning.
30 people found this review helpful
The bestor 1200 is a rock! It removes metal and is a very sturdy stone that does not wear away as much as the polishing stone that I have.I am new to sharpening but the bestor 1200 seems like a winner as it is hard, double sided, and I can leave it in a soak without having to baby sit it before sharpening.My only complaint is that I am new to sharpening and I think I remove too much metal with it. That is my fault while learning the technique. It is not the stones fault... it is mine.I am of the opinion that I was recommended a very good stone for what it is. I just have to learn to use it better.Sharpening is learning.
