Can anyone educate me on the difference between these "diamond" stones?

[jac_solar]

Heya. I bought some cheap "Diamond" stones for my Edge Pro, and the amount of material removed with the 240 stone is incredible. It creates a huge burr significantly faster than my other Diamond hone, which I think is an Atoma 140 grit or something similar, and I believe it cost as much as the entire set of the cheap stones from eBay. (4 stones.)

https://imgur.com/Bcha16i

eBay 240 grit diamond stone on left, Atoma on right.

The "240" grit feels much coarser and grippier than my Atoma stone, which feels almost smooth. I also have some 120 grit sandpaper that feels smooth to the touch, unlike "regular" sandpaper. How come? Can anyone educate me on this subject?

 

[777 Edge]

Yep, most of those cheap plastic backed diamond plates work very well. They have a bad reputation but for the life of me, I don't understand why - they are unbeatable value for money and they are very fast cutters.

Be sure to use soapy water as a lubricant when you use them, this will make them last much longer. Just a couple drops of liquid dish soap mixed with water in a little 2-3 ounce bottle works well.

 

[jac_solar]

Yep, most of those cheap plastic backed diamond plates work very well. They have a bad reputation but for the life of me, I don't understand why - they are unbeatable value for money and they are very fast cutters.

Be sure to use soapy water as a lubricant when you use them, this will make them last much longer. Just a couple drops of liquid dish soap mixed with water in a little 2-3 ounce bottle works well.

I've been using wd-40 as lubricant but I'll try your tip next time. Thank you.

I do wonder how long these types of stones will last compared to an Atoma diamond stone.

 

[777 Edge]

I do wonder how long these types of stones will last compared to an Atoma diamond stone.

I've had a set that's probably done about a hundred knives or so and are still going strong.

 

[Ourorboros]

I've had a set that's probably done about a hundred knives or so and are still going strong.

That's good to know. I bought a few low cost double sided diamond stones this year, just to compare. I haven't used them exclusively on high vanadium steels, but they are working well so far with little sign of wear.
Since they are cost competitive with silicon carbide stones and don't need to be flattened, I thought they would be good recommendations for people who want to try sharpening but don't want to put in the money.

 

[Backyard]

When diamond stones are new they are very sharp and more corse. But as they wear in the will slow down and more represent the rating of the stone. Probably why your new finer stone cuts faster then your older corser stone

 

[jac_solar]

When diamond stones are new they are very sharp and more corse. But as they wear in the will slow down and more represent the rating of the stone. Probably why your new finer stone cuts faster then your older corser stone

The one that I think is an Atoma stone has always felt smooth.

I also have a full sized one that I know to be an Atoma 140 that feels the same

Atoma Tsuboman diamond sharpening plate stone #140 Japan - Osaka Tools

Atoma Tsuboman diamond sharpening plate coarse #140. Atoma "Economy"line stones have their monocrystalline diamonds fixed to a 1 mm thick stainless steel plate that is then fixed with double sided tape to a 10 mm thick aluminum platte. And the 1 mm blades are replaceable and also available. You...

osakatools.com

And I haven't used either very much. I've flattened some stones with the large plate, and if I remember correctly, I've used the small one on like 3-4 knives. I've used the cheap one on 3 knives.

 

[777 Edge]

I thought they would be good recommendations for people who want to try sharpening but don't want to put in the money.

I often recommend them to people, but weirdly they are not as popular as they should be. The bad reputation is mostly because they are so cheap...one of those strange things in life I guess. This is a case of expensive is not always the best.

They will cut any steel and will last long if lubricated while using them, and they will leave a great edge on any knife.

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

I often recommend them to people, but weirdly they are not as popular as they should be. The bad reputation is mostly because they are so cheap...one of those strange things in life I guess. This is a case of expensive is not always the best.

They will cut any steel and will last long if lubricated while using them, and they will leave a great edge on any knife.

One of the bench stones I use to reprofile the most is a cheap as chips amazon special and its both broken in and held up great.

 

[Ourorboros]

The bad reputation is mostly because they are so cheap...one of those strange things in life I guess. This is a case of expensive is not always the best.

Well low cost is too often associated with cheap. But I guess I will have to find a way to explain we aren't talking about Mercedes vs Lada.
I did learn to sharpen because of J-knives and as a result I started on more expensive stones. But for EDC sharpening. I can't find a practical reason a beginner shouldn't use a cheap diamond and strop.

 

[Strauss95]

I have 3 different sets of cheap diamond stones for my Edge Pro, from 3 different brands. I also have two Atoma 140's, a full size plate and one for the Edge Pro. Similar to the OP, I've found the dirt cheap 80 grit budget stone cut just faster than the expensive Atoma. I've been pleasantly surprised by the edges I've gotten using the cheap diamond stones, having them up to 3K grit. The extra fine grits aren't that great though, working best up to the 1000 or 1200 grit range.

The basic diamond stone 3 piece set from Gritomatic for $30 is a great buy IMO. For fast steel removal the cheap 80 grit diamond stone works even better, unfortunately I've only seen the 80 grit sold within a set, not individually.

 

[777 Edge]

The extra fine grits aren't that great though, working best up to the 1000 or 1200 grit range.

Correct. They are excellent stones and unbeatable in value but you're right about the grits. Beyond about 1000 grit, it's all pretty much the same stones. I think they are only labeled different but are in reality the same stones. It's likely that the chrome plating fills the voids and give diminishing returns beyond a certain grit. For an EDC screaming sharp edge, about 800 grit on these plates are more than adequate.

If you want to go mirror fine, you'll need to use resin based stones or strops beyond that point.

The basic diamond stone 3 piece set from Gritomatic for $30 is a great buy IMO.

Definitely. A set like this is perfect for every day general use edges on any steel.