The Imanishi Pink Pop Rocks 220 Stone Flattener gets its nickname honestly. Our first thought was bubble gum and then Pop Rocks came to mind. More importantly, this is an effective low grit stone for users who want strong flattening performance without spending extra money on a diamond plate such as the Atoma 140. It works extremely well for flattening water stones and is also useful for quick metal removal when setting bevels or repairing minor damage.
This stone is quite porous and absorbs water quickly, so a full ten minute soak is recommended before use along with keeping water on the surface while working. Despite its playful appearance, this is a serious and hardworking stone that offers excellent value for the price. The thick, heavy format provides long life and consistent performance for both sharpening and stone maintenance tasks.
Care Instructions: Soak for approximately ten minutes before use. Keep the surface wet during use. Do not permasoak. Allow the stone to dry fully between sessions.
Brand: Imanishi Location: Japan Stone Type: Stone Flattener and Low Grit Stone Grit: 220 Dimensions: 207 x 65 x 33 mm Weight: 670 g approximately 1.5 lb Use: Stone Flattening and Rapid Metal Removal
This stone is quite porous and absorbs water quickly, so a full ten minute soak is recommended before use along with keeping water on the surface while working. Despite its playful appearance, this is a serious and hardworking stone that offers excellent value for the price. The thick, heavy format provides long life and consistent performance for both sharpening and stone maintenance tasks.
Care Instructions: Soak for approximately ten minutes before use. Keep the surface wet during use. Do not permasoak. Allow the stone to dry fully between sessions.
Reviews
6 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval)
This is for stone flattening..., December 30, 2024Posted By: Pat S
26 people found this review helpful
This is a FLATTENING STONE.
You are meant to make a few pencil marks on your stone, then buff the marks out using this stone, then bevel your stone edges. The bubbles help texture wise in creating a beautiful slurry on your stone to start sharpening with.
For that purpose it is great. If you try to repair a knife with this, it will gouge and scratch your blade.
Of you want a Imanishi at this grit for your progression, get the PINK BRICK Which Mark also sells.
Great piece of kit nonetheless and a true game changer for home sharpening.
26 people found this review helpful
This is a FLATTENING STONE.
You are meant to make a few pencil marks on your stone, then buff the marks out using this stone, then bevel your stone edges. The bubbles help texture wise in creating a beautiful slurry on your stone to start sharpening with.
For that purpose it is great. If you try to repair a knife with this, it will gouge and scratch your blade.
Of you want a Imanishi at this grit for your progression, get the PINK BRICK Which Mark also sells.
Great piece of kit nonetheless and a true game changer for home sharpening.
Good lapping stonePosted By: Jeronimo Macias - verified customer
7 people found this review helpful
This is a very hard stone and removes material very well after a good long soak. I have used it to both knives and other stones. As a stone flattener it works very well. On knives I don't like the feedback at all but it does remove metal very well. I guess I have to get used to the stone.
7 people found this review helpful
This is a very hard stone and removes material very well after a good long soak. I have used it to both knives and other stones. As a stone flattener it works very well. On knives I don't like the feedback at all but it does remove metal very well. I guess I have to get used to the stone.
Update: Pop Rocks to the rescue for "bad knives"Posted By: Lionel Joyce
7 people found this review helpful
Update a year later. Was having trouble getting any edge at all on a friend's antique carving knife in what must have been a quite soft stainless. Plus the edge had a double curvature: concave near the handle, convex towards the tip. An inexpensive, 220 grit stone that I use for beater knives was having no effect whatsoever, and on my decent Cerax320 the curvature was affecting the flatness of the stone. So I turned to the Pop Rocks, and within a few minutes of sharpening on the 1" face of the stone - to deal with the knife edge curvature - I had a paper-slicer.
7 people found this review helpful
Update a year later. Was having trouble getting any edge at all on a friend's antique carving knife in what must have been a quite soft stainless. Plus the edge had a double curvature: concave near the handle, convex towards the tip. An inexpensive, 220 grit stone that I use for beater knives was having no effect whatsoever, and on my decent Cerax320 the curvature was affecting the flatness of the stone. So I turned to the Pop Rocks, and within a few minutes of sharpening on the 1" face of the stone - to deal with the knife edge curvature - I had a paper-slicer.
Fun stone DecentPosted By: Keith Ryan Amirault - verified customer
4 people found this review helpful
It is a pretty great stone, especially for the price. It is not a soft stone, but for 220 stones, I like the hardest stones possible, like Shapton Pro or Glass, or Naniwa 220 Sharpening Series. This stone is a little softer than those and resulted in scratching on my primary bevel which I don't like. Generally, I prefer diamond plates for sharpening this low, but I wanted to try this unique stone. It performed well, and I personally didn't mind the bubbles, but you can definitely feel them while sharpening.
4 people found this review helpful
It is a pretty great stone, especially for the price. It is not a soft stone, but for 220 stones, I like the hardest stones possible, like Shapton Pro or Glass, or Naniwa 220 Sharpening Series. This stone is a little softer than those and resulted in scratching on my primary bevel which I don't like. Generally, I prefer diamond plates for sharpening this low, but I wanted to try this unique stone. It performed well, and I personally didn't mind the bubbles, but you can definitely feel them while sharpening.
