Today I bought 3 stone set which cost 7$. It has 180, 240 and 400 mesh stones made by Am-tech, I have no information about their quality. So far results have been pleasing. Only time will tell how durable these cheapos are. How about you people on these forums? Are you driven away from cheap sharpeners and/or smaller and unknown companies, or do you use cheap stuff on your work?
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Cheap diamond stones!
- Thread starter J-P SAN
- Start date
Monofletch
Gold Member
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- Jan 14, 2010
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If they perform to your liking- who cares what people think.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
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That's pretty much all that matters, most of the time. I use some 'inexpensive' hones & other materials for some knives, and I use my DMTs (& Fallkniven, Spyderco, etc.) for others. It's more important to find what works well for each, and that often has nothing to do with money spent. It's usually a given, that a 'cheap' hone won't necessarily be as durable over the long run; but if the price for acquiring it is minimal in the first place, nothing's really been lost anyway.
The one thing that I think does matter, is at the refining end of the grit spectrum. That's where the compromises in quality will often be seen, in the inconsistencies produced by loosely-controlled grit specs, such as coarse particles mixed into fine grit, leaving random coarse scratches in an otherwise refined or polished finish, or perhaps leaving the 'refined' edge somewhat less so, as compared to a more tightly-spec'd hone of equal grit rating. Within the <400-grit limits of these cheaper hones, that shouldn't matter much, as they'll all leave coarse to very coarse edges anyway. Should be fine for quick re-bevelling and heavy damage repair jobs, and the 400 should leave a decent or good working edge on stainless kitchen and utility knives.
David
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I learned to freehand on a $10 diamond block from harbor freight. It has 200, 300, 400 and 600 grit. It wasn't completely even across the surface but was very helpful preparing my bevels for the water stones. Honestly, the only reason I don't use it anymore is because my wife bought me a set of DMT's for Father's Day. So, if it works.....use it 