Knock-off diamond plates?

Leo,
I haven't tried the knock-offs, but see no reason not to buy the real deal, especially since the DMT's are on sale today with Amzn Prime.
I just bought 2 DMT's

the minis are $18.50 for a set of 3

the 6" with plastic box are around $30-$40 each

and the pocket credit card ones are around $10

Mods. if posting these links are not allowed please take down or let me know and I will remove.

 

Hi,
There are lots of non-trademark infringing unbranded diamond plates out there,
a whole lot of them (all?) seem to be made by "DMD" brand,
like the harbor freight diamond sharpening plates,
The thin 6.69inch/2.95inch #80-#3000 "grit" (or mesh?) ... seem like good deal at ~$3-$4 shipped
as long as you're aware of and dont mind the potential issues
the problems with these they could
take a month before they arrive using free shipping
could need returning back to seller because
come damaged or falling apart,
could be easily damaged despite using the required low pressure with them,
need straightening/flattening (the thin stuff)
need gluing to a backing/board/another thin plate to stiffen up
come too coarse and need breaking in or zero pressure super ultra light lapping to give finer grit finish
...
unlike the harbor freight plates they have no holes

See The Ultrasharp 300/1200 DMD 400/1200 and the DMT duosharp C/F for a baseline

A local korean/asian/japanese supermarket sells this for $20, its cheaper online and the individual plates can be found for ~$3

 

The sk11 models on Amazon work well for the money.
That said, I have good luck with DMT. Low pressure, quite aggressive, and not too messy.

Russ

 

Some of the plates are of sub parts quality and or incorrect grit ratings. Other than that, they should work for the most part. I personally rather buy once and cry once.

 

You generally get what you pay for. My DMTs have lasted for decades.

 

You betcha...