These are my favorite for sharpening knives and is what I use everyday in the shop.  Professional-grade whetstones, crafted by the esteemed Morihei Corporation with over a century of experience. I read somewhere that Morihei spent 5 years developing these stones and it shows. These high-end stones strike the perfect balance, combining durability for maintaining flatness and fast cutting, while delivering the desired feedback of medium-hard natural stones. Own the stones that offer both ease of use and unparalleled professional quality. 

I've intentionally designed this three stone progression of 1000, 4000, and 8000 for the most complete sharping experience and is the progression I follow as the last step in the knife making process. However, if choosing only one, the 1000 grit is your best bet. It lands perfectly in the sweet-spot of being coarse enough to shape the bevel and fine enough to place a quality finishing polish along the cutting edge. The progression above the 1K, 4000 is about removing micro scratches, or resistance when cutting. Climbing up to 8000 will really brighten up the cutting edge is more than enough for anything in your cooking path. And then, we highly recommend picking up a Leather or Felt Strop for that final touch. It's an essential last step in the sharpening process.