Top questions from beginner knife makers.

For all coarse-medium grits (36-120), we recommend using our Firestorm II ceramic belts. They represent our newest grain technology. They cut cool, self-sharpen and last approximately 30% longer than previous ceramics.
1. They are available in grits: 36, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120. (It is ok to skip 1-2 grits)
  1. We recommend: 36 then 60 then 120.
For the medium-fine grits (180-220), we recommend using our Blue Ceramic belts. They cut cool and self-sharpen.
1. They are stocked in grits (180 & 220).
  1. We recommend jumping from 120 Firestorm II to 220 grit Blue Ceramic.
For the fine-super fine grits (320-800), ceramic is not available finer than 220 grit. A/O is the primary grain used on fine grits. We recommend our Green J-Flex A/O belts.
1. They are available in grits: 60, 80, 120, 180, 220, 320, 400, 600 & 800
  1. We recommend jumping from 220 Blue Ceramic to: 400 then 600 AO.

If you would like to go finer, we offer 1200 and 2000 grit blue film belts.

To hone your edge, we offer a “Felt” belt.

The belts mentioned above are all included in the starter kits below. They can also be purchased separately.

If the belt backing is Polyester, water will not cause any problem. They can be used with any amount of water or cutting fluid. (All Firestorm belts are Polyester backed)
If the backing is not Polyester (either cotton or poly/cotton blend), it is ok to “dip” the blade in water to cool it, but they should not be used with a mister or drip method which will get the belts too wet which can cause a problem. (Blue Ceramic and Green AO J-Flex are not Polyester)

They work great when the belts get clogged with common handle materials (G10, wood, antler, bone, etc.), regardless of the grit.
On metal, they can be effective when used on the finer grits. They are generally not very effective on coarse grits when the metal has adheared to the grains.