diamond abrasive materials on stones

[LeatherSnake]

Hello i was wondering what are some branded diamond stones are made of such as kme, eze lap and others. I know DMT uses monocrystalline, but any info on the others?

 

[tiguy7]

I prefer bonded Diamonds to electro plated Nickel co-deposited with Diamonds. My DMT stuff did not hold up that well. Venev markets the bonded stuff.

 

[HeavyHanded]

Mono grinds faster, poly grinds to a finer finish per grit rating.

 

[Gritomatic]

Venev are mono.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

In my own uses and comparing DMT vs. EZE-Lap, I've had the following impression:

DMT (mono) has produced a finer, more uniform finish, especially noticeable in 600 and finer grit. I've come to prefer these for the finishing touches, even if I've used something else in diamond for earlier-stage sharpening.

EZE-Lap (poly/mono blend, by their own description), has, so far, produced finishes coarser than DMT at similar/same grit rating. As an example, the 400/1200 combo I have from EZE-Lap has produced a finish from it's '1200' side that closely emulates the 600 from DMT. EZE-Lap claims a faster-working grit which, over time, is supposed to produce a finer finish with some use. It may eventually happen, but I haven't seen that in full from their hone, yet. I'm still in the habit of finishing on a DMT hone, after using the EZE-Lap, because the DMT leaves a much cleaner edge for the rated grit. Not sure why that is, if it's got anything to do with the poly/mono differences at all, or not. But I keep noticing it.

It's not fully clear to me yet, in actual use, which of the two is faster for metal removal. They're both pretty fast, and stay working fast as long as the hones are kept from loading up during use with a wetted surface (I use mineral oil).

I'm not fully convinced of the claim of one type being faster or another producing a finer finish, if the claim is based ONLY on the grit type (mono vs. poly). So, I didn't choose one or the other for the sake of the poll. I think other factors may play into it more; especially (1) the overall quality & uniformity of the diamond grit, and (2) the quality of the process by which it's bound to the substrate; I think DMT has a clear advantage, on these factors in particular. There are lots of variables which can affect the results, for good or bad.

 

[Mo2]

It's been suggested to me (i cant find the post or it was deleted) to use poly (spray/emulsion for a strop compound) with high vanadium and high hrc super steel and mono with anything else. The poly doesn't last as long but does better with those steel types. The poly will cut faster due to multi facets diamonds but will fracture and wears to no cut. So you have to reapply each knife you do.

so the Poly is good when its new. if its a stone the Poly will wear out sooner than Mono. if its Spray, paste, emulsion, it can be re-applied to a strop or whatever.

While Mono has a bit less cut due to blocky shape verses the poly, it will last much longer. i assume based off of this information, Mono would be prefered in a stone.

here's two quotes

The poly will cut faster due to multi facets diamonds but will fracture and wears to no cut. So you have to reapply each knife you do. Mono has a bit less cut due to blocky shape verses the poly. Mono will last longer on a strop and allow you to do several knives before needing to reapply. In the end both give similar edge enhancement and polish.

...Same guy different post...
poly diamond is multi facets so has good removal and polish. It fractures and due to that breaks down and needs to be reapplied for each knife you do. Mono is kinda blocky and more single Edge surface compared to poly but longer lasting and can be used to do several knives. They both give similar Edge sharpness and polish. I have recent post showing the difference in shape so easier to gain visual understanding between the two.

And I also love the bonded diamond stones by Venev. Didn't know they were mono. They work great on my knives overall. But they are much different than a dmt type stone.

 

[maximus83]

I have used EZE-Lap in the past (about 5 years ago), and more recently all the brands I've used are mono: Atoma, DMT, Ultrasharp, and some cheap no-name brands. I haven't tracked what the claims are for poly vs mono, but similar to David, my EZE Lap didn't leave as nice a finish as same-grit DMT. Based on edges I was getting, I continued on with DMT and later added Atoma. In the coarse stone department, my two favorites are the Atoma 140 and my DMT XC (220) interrupted plate, both cut clean and fast and I cannot imagine anything diamonds doing a better job than these when your goal is to quickly remove metal and still have a fairly clean working edge that won't take forever to reset the coarse scratch pattern. It should be an indicator of sorts, that a lot of these market leading diamond abrasive brands are going with mono--at the very least, there seems to be a working consensus that mono works, and in my usage with my obviously limited sample size of stones that I own, it does work. Also about the wear issue: I've seen no issues of premature wear with DMT after 7 years of continuous use with my XC and C plates, but then I am an amateur sharpener working at a lower volume.

As with David, my impression is that the poly vs mono is not a big issue to be concerned about, and the more important thing to focus on is get a quality, proven diamond plate that has the features you want and has gotten good feedback from a lot of other folks. A majority of the pro sharpeners here in the forum, and a lot of us amateurs, have had good experiences with the leading brands that use mono like DMT and Atoma, and even with some less expensive newer brands like Ultrasharp, sk-11, and DMD. And it sounds like others have done well with the Venev stones, which I have not tried.