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DMT for re setting bevels?

Depends on what you consider Coarse and how quickly you want to remove metal. Another cnsiderstion will be what stones you will follow the diamond plate with. In my experience with DMT, I would probably recommnd the Duosharp Coarse instead of the Diasharps. I feel they are a little more efficient than the diasharps and it can make a big difference when sharpening.

One better would be the Atoma 400, beyond that I would just consider some cheap diamond plates, there are some decent clones of the DMT and other popular brands that work well for bevel setting.
 
Jason B. said:
Depends on what you consider Coarse and how quickly you want to remove metal. Another cnsiderstion will be what stones you will follow the diamond plate with. In my experience with DMT, I would probably recommnd the Duosharp Coarse instead of the Diasharps. I feel they are a little more efficient than the diasharps and it can make a big difference when sharpening.

One better would be the Atoma 400, beyond that I would just consider some cheap diamond plates, there are some decent clones of the DMT and other popular brands that work well for bevel setting.
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+1 to the Duo-Sharp recommendation; the Coarse/Fine combo is very versatile, and fast.

Also agree that some cheap diamond plates can be used for jobs like this. I just recently picked up a set of 3 diamond 'blocks' (cough, cough) at Harbor Freight for a whopping $10 total. They are rated at 180, 260 and 360 grit; I haven't even tried the two coarsest ones, but the '360' is viciously aggressive at metal removal (probably more aggressive than DMT's 'coarse' at 325-mesh rating). HF also has a 4-sided diamond block, rated at 600, 400, 300, 200. The 'blocks' I picked up (more akin to 'plates') are quite thin and NOT flat; if some effort is made to re-mount them on something flatter and sturdier, they'll be even more useful for 'grunt work' jobs that don't come up very often, like quickly hogging off metal and thinning edge grinds on heavy/thick/large blades. HF's 4-sided block might possibly be flatter, due to the way they're mounted, but I don't know for sure.

As with any diamond hone, always use them with light pressure. I'd assume the major downside of the cheaper hones will be long-term durability, and keeping pressure light while using them should help extend their useful working life.


David
 
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For "cheaper" I don't think I would drop down as far as the HF diamond plates but there is a 140 plate at CKTG or the SK-11 style that can be found on Amazon and eBay.
 
Jason B. said:
For "cheaper" I don't think I would drop down as far as the HF diamond plates but there is a 140 plate at CKTG or the SK-11 style that can be found on Amazon and eBay.
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In seeing what they really are, I probably wouldn't deliberately seek them out either. I'd gone to the HF store to pick up a digital angle gauge (cube), and saw the hones; so for $10, I figured what the heck, I'd give 'em a try... :)


David
 
DMT's plates are high quality, and being diamond, they remove metal faster than anything else I've tried. Depending on how much metal you need to remove, you may want something more coarse than the DMT C. I really like the DMT XXC for reprofiling blades by hand. You can get a lot done FAST with a plate that coarse.

Jason seems unimpressed with the DMT's lately and even said he wasn't all that impressed with the longevity of the Atoma 140 (which is similar in coarseness to the DMT XXC). But Jason flattens a LOT of waterstones, so his use might not mirror yours or mine.

I can tell you that I have a small area on my DMT C that I think I damaged when I first got mine several years ago. Applying too much pressure was my mistake, as that will rip the diamonds off. I've applied more pressure on the XXC and it doesn't seem to shed diamonds like the C does. You can't go crazy on it, but it will take more abuse than the C for SURE.

I'm a big fan of the XXC, C, and EF combination. I haven't tried diamond plates from other brands, so I can't compare to others. I just know the DMT works and works well.

Brian.
 
I have the Spyderco diamond rods but I'm looking for something a little better for creating new bevels.
 
I still like the DMT's very much, just after 6+ years of use I am seeing their strong and weak points.

The DMT plates seems to be fairly durable as long as you don't use too much pressure.

The Atoma are noticeably faster at metal removal and stone lapping but I have discovered that lapping stones below 300 grit can be very damaging to diamond plates so I have switched to using other coarse stones to lap coarse stones. I will likely pick up another Atoma 140 but I feel they take a hit on durability for grinding performance. I wore the center of mine out in about 6 months, and by wore out the center I mean 1x6 inch section in the center is missing diamonds.

Due to issues with plate wear and price of high quality plates I have partly switched to using plates like I mentioned in my last post. They are not always flat and not the best for lapping but do great at grinding bevels.
 
skyhorse said:
I have the Spyderco diamond rods but I'm looking for something a little better for creating new bevels.
Click to expand...

I got Spyderco's CBN rods and they seem to have the same properties as the DMT - I find them ok, as faster going mean your running in the danger removing accidentally to much material or produce to deep scratches you never can put back or mend.
 
Yes, if you go to the extra coarse it will rebevel & reprofile but leaves deep scratches. If you go to the coarse it won't hardly do the job. The dia stones are what I'd spend the more money for as the duo are merely a marketers dream. Giving you less product for the same money and then try to justify it. DM
 
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