How Good?

[Robert Ptacek]

I am considering getting a dual side (C/F) and am wondering how good is the edge coming off the stones?I realize they do need a break-in period but am I going to be disappointed?

 

[Bob6794]

What kind d of stones and brand?

And truth be told sharpening is vastly skill based for results, the tool itself doesn't matter as much. You can sharpen a knife from the bottom of a mug and get a sharp knife out of it if you want.

A common misconception is that higher grit stones make a knife sharper, that is wrong. What usually happens is that the person doesn't fully apexed the knife so when they buy higher grit stones and use them they spend more time on the stones bringing it closer to Apex.

Your goal in sharpening is to create a fully apexed edge free of defects. For simplicity I like to tell people to achieve that on your coarsest stone your using (that session). And than when your moving up the grits your just polishing up the edge and changing it's cutting characteristic. If you finish on a coarser stone it will leave a more toothy edge which excels in slicing applications. And when you move up to higher grits you leave a more polished edge excelling in push cuts.

I have personally found when using my DMT diamond stones that coming from the coarse or fine diamond stones work best for me as the edge coming from the extra fine stone doesn't perform as well in my tasks as I typically slice with my knives. So my higher grit stones remain unused for the most part.

 

[Robert Ptacek]

I forgot to mention I am referring to a diamond stone and wondering if the edge is acceptable from the beginning or will I have a lengthy break in?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Virtually any hone or stone will need at least a little 'break-in' time. With some, that's only a handful of knives or multiple sharpenings of one knife. With others, it might take a little longer. Most diamond hones will settle into a predictable pattern of performance after a relatively short break-in period. Give them a month or two at least, assuming you'll be using them pretty regularly in that time. Also depends on what steels you'll be sharpening on them. More wear-resistant steels will break in a diamond hone more quickly than softer or minimally wear-resistant steels usually will.

As to whether you'll like the results or not, almost everything depends on what your preferences are for a finished edge. It seems like a lot of people initially find the finished edges coming off diamond hones to be coarser than they expected; especially if they've transitioned to it from something generally finer, like ceramic hones. A '600-grit' diamond hone will leave a much coarser finish than a '600-grit' ceramic will; it's just the differing nature of how each of them cuts at a given grit size.

Some will also depend on the particular brand of diamond hone you're using. There's a lot a variability in the character of finished edges coming off different makes of diamond hones, even if they might be rated the same in grit. I've liked DMT's hones (Coarse & Fine in particular), because I've consistently noticed they leave a cleaner, more burr-free edge needing minimal or no additional work, or even stropping.

This isn't to say most any diamond hone isn't capable of producing a very sharp, finished edge. It's just saying some might require a little more diligence in cleaning up the edge of burrs & such, before calling it 'done'.

Bottom line, in trying any new hone for the first time, give yourself plenty of time to get fully acquainted with how it works. By 'plenty of time', I'd suggest months, even up to a year or more. I have a lot of hones and stones that I didn't like for YEARS, because I thought they just didn't work well. But most of my issues were just in learning how to sharpen in general, and also learning how to adapt my own skill set to different types of hones. I started to like diamond hones a LOT after I finally learned how to adjust my application of pressure in using them. Took a long time to learn that concept and to teach my hands to do it consistently; and for a very long time, it was inconceivable to me that any hone could work well at all at such light use of pressure. But it finally sunk in, and it also paid off in use of all my other stones as well.

 

[bgentry]

Speaking specifically about DMT's plates:

The edge coming off of the DMT C is very, very toothy. It bites into flesh and other media instantly. Yet, if you do your job correctly, it can be extremely sharp. It shaves hair, but does not "pop" it. A properly done DMT C edge is a fantastic utility edge. It is FAR from polished, but will be very sharp.

The DMT F has a good reputation as being a good kitchen type edge finish. I do not own one. The next step up, the DMT EF, I do own. It produces a very nice kitchen use edge: Fine enough to do lots of push cutting tasks. Not very toothy, but a little bit. Easy mows hair off of the arm. Slices meat well. A good stone for kitchen use.

The biggest down side of the DMT stones is that you have to be careful about pressure. I've damaged my C plate pretty badly by using too much pressure. It has some areas that are kind of "slick" where I've broken off a lot of the diamonds. It still cuts quite well, but it's obvious that I abused it in those areas. An interesting compromise: The DMT stays flat forever, cuts all types of steels, and makes very toothy edges (compared to other stone types at a similar micron size). Yet they are quite delicate (by comparison) and a little bit on the expensive side.

Brian.

 

[David Martin]

And truth be told sharpening is vastly skill based for results,
A common misconception is that higher grit stones make a knife sharper, that is wrong. What usually happens is that the person doesn't fully apexed the knife so when they buy higher grit stones and use them they spend more time on the stones bringing it closer to Apex.
Your goal in sharpening is to create a fully apexed edge free of defects.

This is what I suspect as well. DM

 

[Robert Ptacek]

Thanks for all your input. It is appreciated.