Set of Coe buying Whetstones from Arkansas

I've had these a long time, I picked them up for testing. I just wanted to see what was up.

Quarried by J. Coe, in Arkansas. They are not 'Arkansas Stones' made of novaculite, like you for sale with Preyda or Dan's. No, not that. Same state, different rocks. Way different.

These 3 examples were cut by Jende industries for one of those sharpening machines used for cutlery. For me, the price was affordable and it allowed me to avoid the hype and hoopla emanating from points south at the time. The slabs are 6.0 x 1.0 x 0.25" - mounted to aluminum strips. Very convenient, works firne for razors if you have control of your pressure.

There is an 'Arkansas Grey', a "Bethesda', and a "Dota Creek'. Each one is labeled, with an approximate grit rating from the vendor. I do not subscribe to the numbers, absolutely, but they are there for reference.

All in all, this was a nice set for testing, I like trying new stuff. I did not expect my world to change, and it didn't.

The Grey was touted to be 8k - meh.... maybe on a great day when the planets align perfectly. I think it comes up short personally. A good finisher for everyday knives in the kitchen though.

The Dota Creek was said to be 4-6k. I think maybe 4k-ish, not seeing higher than that.

The Bethesda was said to be 1-2k. It does not cut like a 1k synth at all, not ever. Wasn't that far off the Dota to be honest.

All three are very smooth, very consistent, Any of them could be tossed in a backpack to use with camp knives out in the field. Nice for a touch up at the sink. They are fairly easy to lap, not too hard to flatten, and - in a general sense - a decent sharpening stone for what I call 'mid range' efforts. For razors, I think (know) that there are other choices that make me happier. None of the 3 are what I consider to be a razor finisher. I might compare the Dota and the Bethesda to a common black/grey Welsh Slate, the Arkansas Grey was a bit finer but not comparing favorably to the good purple Welsh Slates.

Good for testing, good for broadening horizions, good for getting perspecitve on natural stones that aren't found on every shelf. Also good buying for testing honing skills. Fantastic to see what they actually do vs some of the hype found on the internet. The price point allows getting a glimpse of these 3 stones without dropping $$. All good IMO, but then I like to try stuff even when I don't think it's gonna float my boat.

Some people raved about these stones, you won't find me raving about them but I think these 3 examples are excellent for the above mentioned reasons. But, to be clear, they are NOT Arkansas Stones of the novaculite variety. They're just FROM Arkansas....

This set of testing stones ship free via USPS, fully insured.