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Lansky Diamond stones
- Thread starter joesrx
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2007
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- 233
Needed, no. Will they set the initial bevel/angle fast? Yes.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2009
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- 167
years ago when i still used the kit for things like reprofiling or really dull edges i just had the regular stones too and as long as i went down the grits starting with the coarse for sharpening, or xtra coarse for a reprofile,working my way down to the ceramic i had know problems doing any knives including s30v. however i did add a xcoarse diamond for reprofiling just to speed things up a bit and it does reduce the time but wasnt completely necessary just time saving.
FLymon
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2006
- Messages
- 4,589
I caught a deal too good to pass up on a deluxe diamond set about 6 months ago. I have owned the regular deluxe kit for at least 10 years and for about $40 delivered I couldn't pass on the diamonds. I probably should have.
They are inferior to the old stones/ceramic in that they leave a scratched looking finish on the edge, even the "fine" one does this. The coarser stones do make pretty quick work of re-profiling so that is all I use the set for.
The diamond set is great for re-profiling, but worthless for maintenance IMHO.
They are inferior to the old stones/ceramic in that they leave a scratched looking finish on the edge, even the "fine" one does this. The coarser stones do make pretty quick work of re-profiling so that is all I use the set for.
The diamond set is great for re-profiling, but worthless for maintenance IMHO.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 1,064
im about to get a diamond coarse or extra coarse here pretty soon just for reprofilling
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2009
- Messages
- 506
My experience is very different I have 10+ year old lansky deluxe set I inherited from my father. The stones are in near perfect condition I just washed the old swarf off cleaned the case and stones up, and I can get nearly hair popping edges, and after stropping they're hair whittling.
The key with these diamond stones is a lot of strokes. They don't cut very fast past the medium stone (fine is extremely slow). All the the other ones cut very fast, and need a lot of cleaning. Mine is really old so the stones were well broken in when I got them
.
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- Apr 12, 2009
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I think you would appreciate having at least ONE diamond hone to supplement your regular set. The Coarse or Xtra-Coarse would make quick work of resetting the initial bevel when reprofiling. Once you set the bevel, and have verified that you've created a burr along the full length of the cutting edge, you could then finish as usual by progressing through the medium, fine, UF hones from your regular set. The good thing about Lansky is that you don't necessarily have to buy the whole diamond set, you can just buy the individual hones you think you'll need. Might save a little cash that way.
I have a regular set also. Years ago, I was a bit impatient with it and decided to buy a Medium Diamond hone to supplement it. Even at the medium grit, I noticed immediately how much quicker it was able to remove metal from the edge. If I were to do it all over again, I would've bought at least the Coarse diamond, and perhaps the Xtra-Coarse diamond hone also. I've used my Medium Diamond hone a LOT for initial reprofiling, and I've noticed some significant wear on it's surface. My most recent project was reprofiling a ZT 0350 with S30V, and that steel is amazingly tough. I found myself wishing more than ever that I had a Coarse/XC diamond hone to start it off. I got the job done using my existing hones, but it took a good, long time to get it done. It would be beneficial to start with the Coarsest stone necessary, using LIGHT strokes, and let the grit do most of the work. You'll get done quicker that way, and the stones will also last longer.
I have a regular set also. Years ago, I was a bit impatient with it and decided to buy a Medium Diamond hone to supplement it. Even at the medium grit, I noticed immediately how much quicker it was able to remove metal from the edge. If I were to do it all over again, I would've bought at least the Coarse diamond, and perhaps the Xtra-Coarse diamond hone also. I've used my Medium Diamond hone a LOT for initial reprofiling, and I've noticed some significant wear on it's surface. My most recent project was reprofiling a ZT 0350 with S30V, and that steel is amazingly tough. I found myself wishing more than ever that I had a Coarse/XC diamond hone to start it off. I got the job done using my existing hones, but it took a good, long time to get it done. It would be beneficial to start with the Coarsest stone necessary, using LIGHT strokes, and let the grit do most of the work. You'll get done quicker that way, and the stones will also last longer.
I just ordered the Extra Course Diamond from amazon.ca moments ago 
I first tried out my Lansky 5 stone deluxe on a big Chefs knife (before I read about determining the edge bevel with a sharpie) and I missed the mark on matching the bevel angle and reprofiled the whole 10" knife from Extra Course->Fine and it took forever I think because I didn't form the burr with the Extra Course stone first (I think it was taking forever). I have some Ruike knives (p662-b and p105) that I want to resharpen I'll probably try to match the bevel this time with the sharpie (I think it'll be around 25 degrees) and start with medium or fine as its not too dull on either knife yet.
I first tried out my Lansky 5 stone deluxe on a big Chefs knife (before I read about determining the edge bevel with a sharpie) and I missed the mark on matching the bevel angle and reprofiled the whole 10" knife from Extra Course->Fine and it took forever I think because I didn't form the burr with the Extra Course stone first (I think it was taking forever). I have some Ruike knives (p662-b and p105) that I want to resharpen I'll probably try to match the bevel this time with the sharpie (I think it'll be around 25 degrees) and start with medium or fine as its not too dull on either knife yet.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
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- 13,403
Being aware that this thread has just been bumped^ after 11 years, I'll just add a thought to the most recent bump:
The small size of the Lansky hones, at 4" x 1/2", will be the most limiting factor in working speed. But if that's the tool you've got, the most coarse stone will still help to get the process going a bit better.
Working speed is all about a combination of grit type & size, and also the working length & width of the stones used. And in the case of clamped & guided systems, there's also some limitation in how much pressure can be used without losing control of the process - too heavy pressure will risk flexing the clamp or blade off-angle, or causing the blade to move in the clamp. Also limited by the speed of the strokes, in that a too-fast scrubbing technique risks running the ends of the stone off the edge of the blade.
I got started learning with a Lansky set. It worked well as a training intro to sharpening, and I learned a lot in using it. So I don't regret it. But once I finally moved beyond that into freehanding on bench stones, I realized how much faster the job can be done in comparison. Going from the small Lansky stones to an 8" x 2" bench stone of appropriate grit type & rating, the working time for the same job can be cut down to maybe 1/6th of what's required with the Lansky-sized stones, thanks to the much larger working surface length and the method/manner in which it's used, allowing greater pressure with more control and faster scrubbing capability for hogging off steel.
The small size of the Lansky hones, at 4" x 1/2", will be the most limiting factor in working speed. But if that's the tool you've got, the most coarse stone will still help to get the process going a bit better.
Working speed is all about a combination of grit type & size, and also the working length & width of the stones used. And in the case of clamped & guided systems, there's also some limitation in how much pressure can be used without losing control of the process - too heavy pressure will risk flexing the clamp or blade off-angle, or causing the blade to move in the clamp. Also limited by the speed of the strokes, in that a too-fast scrubbing technique risks running the ends of the stone off the edge of the blade.
I got started learning with a Lansky set. It worked well as a training intro to sharpening, and I learned a lot in using it. So I don't regret it. But once I finally moved beyond that into freehanding on bench stones, I realized how much faster the job can be done in comparison. Going from the small Lansky stones to an 8" x 2" bench stone of appropriate grit type & rating, the working time for the same job can be cut down to maybe 1/6th of what's required with the Lansky-sized stones, thanks to the much larger working surface length and the method/manner in which it's used, allowing greater pressure with more control and faster scrubbing capability for hogging off steel.
The saying "dont fix what aint broke" has been around for a while for a reason. If you are happy with the results you are currently getting out of the basic kit and have no plans on getting harder steel than I would say there is no reason to go buy more stones. Almost all of us here are guilty of buying far more than we will ever need in terms of knives and equipment to sharpen those knives. Diamonds really shine in their ability to cut fast and cut anything. If you are going to be going harder than D2 or S30V you are going to want diamond or CBN not only for the fast cutting, but for finishing work where softer stones are going to lead to carbide tear out and a diminishing of the edge performance. For what you are working on now, no upgrade is needed.