In the past, I have had a couple of knife sharpeners, but they have been little metal gadgets, that do sharpen, to a degree, but are a bit fiddley. This Japanese whetstone, which does state, is actually made in Japan, looked very interesting, and I looked forward to receiving, and using it.The whetstone has a good weight to it, and just the appearance of the stone, looks a professional piece of equipment to have in your kitchen. At a guess, it must weigh approximately 1kg. The whetstone has a plastic container box, to keep it in, when not using, and there are two separate grit sides to the block. The first side you use, is the 1000# grit stone. This is to sharpen your knife, then you use the 3000# grit stone, to hone (remove any bits, and smooth). Before you start, you have to soak the whetstone in water for at least 15 minutes, as stated on the clearly laid out instructions. Hopefully, I won’t be sharpening my knives that often, so it’s not a problem, having to do this before each use.Once you start the sharpening process, it is quiet relaxing, in a funny sort of way, and satisfying once you achieve the sharp edge on the knife. I don’t think the whetstone is suitable for sharpening serrated edged knives, and there is no mention of this on the instructions.The price shown is a little higher than the price of standard ‘gadget’ knife sharpeners, I have seen, but I suppose, as this is a genuine Japanese made item, and the grit blocks should last for many years, the price reflects this. The whetstone does look a quality item, and I think would be a nice gift for anyone who enjoys cooking.