are the DMT benchstones worth of their price?

First, to answer your question concerning are they worth it? I can sum it up in two words, "Hell yeah".

I'm partial to the DiaSharp models because they are less expensive than the ones with holes, plus they don't grab the point of a knife.

My current sharpening methodology is to use a DMT DiaSharp coarse to set the back bevel, and then to use a SharpMaker to finish the job. BUT, I do have a DiaSharp coarse, fine, and extra fine. There's nothing wrong with the fine and extra fine, it's just that I prefer the SharpMaker for ease of use and consistency.

I have found that KnivesPlus.com has the best prices on them. I highly recommend the 8" instead of the 6". This applies to ANY benchstone that you purchase, not just a DMT. You want something that will give you enough surface area to do the job.

http://www.knivesplus.com/DMT-Knife-Sharpener-Dia-Sharp.HTML
 
Yes they are worth it in my opinion. However, if your not willing to spend the $ on them I think 3 different grit stones; coarse, med,and fine, that are cheaper is more valueable and useful than 1 grit hone of any type or cost. Yes you could get away with useing only 1 grit, fine, but it's kind of like only useing socks instead of shoes and boots, for everything.
 
D_R_Sharpening found the 8" DMT DiaSharp (continuous not polka dot) at a reasonable price at Craftsman Studio. Looks like the 3 stone kit (coarse, fine, extra fine, plus base) for $99.00 might be what you're looking for. Plus they have an Extra-Extra coarse available if you really need something more than the regular coarse.

Note: I have no affiliation or experience with this company.
 
huugh,
Diamonds are a girl's......oh I meant to say....diamonds can be a sharpener's best friend. :D

I like the way Ted described how he uses his diamond plates. I would do something similar myself.

Diamonds are great for the "rough work" but they lack in the polishing (or finishing) department. It's best to employ them for reshaping/reprofiling and use some other system that offers a finer (more refined) edge to apply the primary bevel.

I tend to use my coarse diamond plates (120, 220, 320, 600 micron) to shape and reprofile a knives' bevels. Then I'll swith over to Shapton stones at the 1000x level and continue from there.

I don't know who has better prices without going out and comparing and I'm not sure what's better price wise going Dia-Sharp vs. Duo-Sharp. I would advise comparing prices, stone sizes, and grit requirements. I don't think that I'd concern myself too much over the polka dot vs. continuos issue, although, I think I prefer the continuos a little more. ;)

I have used "Craftsman Studio" (as yam pointed out) and I was happy with my service and product I received from the them. The owner is ready at the PC/phone to answer any questions you may have prior to purchase.

Please keep in mind that diamonds, especially coarse plates, will wear eventually. They won't last forever, but, if you sharpen only knives (and don't reshape all of them all the time) then you can be assured that they'll probably last long enough for most people to be satisfied with the investment.


--Dave--
 
D_R_Sharpening said:
Diamonds are great for the "rough work" but they lack in the polishing (or finishing) department.
Click to expand...

For rough SiC waterstones out cut diamond plates many times to one. The main advantage of diamonds is in the ability to cut any carbide in steel, they stay flat but so do ceramics and the fine waterstones dish really slowly anyway. DMT plates only go up to very fine, but they make micron abrasives pastes if you want to move finer than the x-fine plate (9 micron) all the way down to one micron.

-Cliff
 
I like using DMTs for sharpening S30V and 3V. They make the job a bit easier and faster.
 
Thanks for your answers.
Here are 2 more questions :)
1) Does "whetstone" have any advantage (except continous surface) before the diasharp one? E.g. thicker plate with diamonds (= longer durability)?
2) Is the free hand sharpening "better" than using Spyderco Sharpmaker? In other words: what would you prefer - benchstones or Sharpmaker?

p.s.:I don't mind spending hour or two on sharpening, sometimes it is way how to relax :)
 
The purpose of the whetstone over the DiaSharp is that the holes allow the steel particles to fall through out of the way. BUT, since you have holes, it means that you don't have diamonds where those holes are. The DiaSharp only needs a few drops of water and the steel floats to the end with each stroke. Both have the same thickness of diamonds. It doesn't matter about the thickness of the plate, it's the diamonds that do the work.

Freehanding is not better or worse than a Sharpmaker. It's your technique and the stones that you use that make or break your job. I do it both ways, depending on how I feel. I have some good Arkansas stones, some DMT DiaSharps, and an S/M. I like the stones, but I do not like the oily mess. DMT is better here because you put a few drops of water instead of oil on the diamonds. But, when I want to get it sharp quickly and move on, the S/M is my tool of choice.

You can not beat the S/M for cost, ease of setup, no mess, consistency and versatility. BUT, don't kid yourself into thinking that you'll be able to reprofile an edge that is made out of one of the newer high-tech hardened steels. It simply won't happen unless you are willing to sit there for 5 hours or so. Get a good coarse benchstone to do that back bevel and use the S/M for the final edge and touch-ups.

You can screw it up with benchstones and you can get it perfect with benchstones. The same applies to the S/M. It's more about proper technique applied to the proper equipment. You will not go wrong with either in your choice of equipment, but you can go wrong with both if you don't do it right.
 
Free hand sharpening for me, please. What’s the use of being interested in knives, and using knives, if you can’t sharpen one anywhere that you can find a flat stone.

Relying on specialized equipment to do a basic job is counterintuitive for me.
 
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