Mods and other stones for EdgePro?

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Hey guys, it's been awhile since i checked in here. I've been hanging around the gun forums too long and getting broke. Anyways, I've just received my EdgePro Pro model about a week and a half ago. I've been practricing alot on some kitchen knives and some folders and I'm getting the hang of it. I use to free hand before with great results using DMT Diafolds and Sharpmaker rods. But over time sharpening the same knife (especially a thicker blade), the edges started to look convex because I wasn't able to have a consistent angle. Now all that has changed thanks to my EP.

So my question is......
Have any of you guys mounted other manufactures diamond stones on an EP stone blank? I was looking at purchasing maybe an EzeLap 1"x6" diamond stones and mount it on EP's stone blank. I talked to Ben at EP and they use 3M 77 adhesive spray to mount the stones. The reason I'm asking is because the EP 120 stones really wear fast and I'm looking at extra course and course diamonds to re-profile. Do you guys have any other mods for your EP? Have you guys made your own stone/rod blanks? Please share or hook me up with a link. I'd appreciate it. Hopefully I can make some money off this system in the future and make it pay for itself.
 
Heh, there's TONS of good aftermarket stuff for the EP.

For a hint (and another way to drop vast quantities of cash at head-spinning speed) check out Jende's selection of EP stuff. Tom there has everything from the Atoma and DMT diamond plates for that first roughing (the 140 Atoma cuts faster than anything I've ever seen) to the Shapton 30K, which is the finest synthetic stone made.
 
One can purchase ATOMA diamond stones already mounted on EP blanks from Tom at

www.jendeindustries.com

in four different grits.
(The site is a bit difficult to navigate, so go to the search function and enter "ATOMA")

I've used the stones you mentioned, as well as the DMT stones, and I consider the ATOMA far superior in every respect. Obviously, a superior product will command a premium price, but quality always does.

In my experience, the ATOMAs are actually the least expensive in the long run.
 
Heh, Ben, punch up the link I posted. :D

The DMTs aren't bad, I actually use the DMT coarse plate that Jende sells (bought it before the Atoma was available) and it works extremely well. They're not even comparable to the stock 120 in terms of performance, they exceed its capability by so much that they're not even on the same scale.
 
It was not my intention to cast aspersions on DMT. Actually, I consider DMT plates to be of excellent quality. I used them for several years before the ATOMAs became available.
 
Oh, not doubting that the Atomas are better, Ben, they are. When I finally wear this one out with use, I'll most likely replace it with an Atoma 140. I was just trying to point out that both of them will offer a vast performance increase over the stock 120 stone for profiling purposes. :)
 
Komitadjie said:
Oh, not doubting that the Atomas are better, Ben, they are. When I finally wear this one out with use, I'll most likely replace it with an Atoma 140. I was just trying to point out that both of them will offer a vast performance increase over the stock 120 stone for profiling purposes. :)
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No doubt. I no longer use my 120 and 220 EP stones at all. Strangely enough, I have an old 180 EP that is a semi decent cutter. The ATOMAs are used for better steels, and a 320 Shapton for "roughing in" the lower and medium steels. The EP mounted two inch wide DMT plate in XXC works quite well for reprofiling large, flat knives, but is somewhat unwieldy and difficult to use for many smaller knives.
 
I took a look at Jende's website. I noticed the two main brands on their site are Shapton and Chosera. Are there any differences between the two? I'm willing to spend $$ for the Atoma 140 stone if it's that good. If you guys say it's better than DMT's extra course stone, I'm sold.

Thanks for the link to Jende's site. I didn't know someone was making aftermarket stones mounted for the EP. Is there an Atoma 1/2" width in #140? I purchased the 1/2" stones in all grits from EP but the lowest grit they have in 1/2" is #220. I have serious recurve blades to work on.
 
I took a look at Jende's website. I noticed the two main brands on their site are Shapton and Chosera. Are there any differences between the two? I'm willing to spend $$ for the Atoma 140 stone if it's that good. If you guys say it's better than DMT's extra course stone, I'm sold.

Thanks for the link to Jende's site. I didn't know someone was making aftermarket stones mounted for the EP. Is there an Atoma 1/2" width in #140? I purchased the 1/2" stones in all grits from EP but the lowest grit they have in 1/2" is #220. I have serious recurve blades to work on.
 
The common comparison is that the Shapton/Chosera debate is a Ferrari/Lamborghini issue. They're BOTH superb.

Also, Tom can easily make sizes that aren't shown on the chart, if you want smaller ones for recurves.
 
Either way you go, you will be extremely impressed. The stock EdgePro stones aren't bad, especially the 320 and 600. Either of the two upgrade stones, though, will absolutely blow you away. They take the edge to a whole 'nother level, better even than the finish you get with the stock ones.
 
I have used both Shapton and Chocera stones on my EP Professional extensively. I can attest to their superb quality from personal excperience

This is not an indictment of the EP stones. Some of them are quite good. I especially like the 320,600 and the discontinued 800 and 1200.
 
Instead of starting another thread about this, I figured I'd ask a couple questions here. In what ways are the chosera and shapton stones better than the EP ones? Do they last longer, stay flat longer, cut faster? Is the Atoma 140 stone really worth the $75? I'm getting sick of flattening my EP 120 stone all the time, so I'm really thinking about gettting the Atoma.
 
Yes to all of the above. They last a considerable bit longer, because instead of the EP stock stones 3mm thickness, the ones sold by both Ken and Tom for the EP are 5mms thick. Almost doubles the usable thickness of the stone. They cut much more quickly and smoothly, with a more tactile feel on the blade. Think of ALL your stones cutting with the same feel as the stock EP 600 and you're getting close. They have a fair bit more abrasive per volume of stone than the stock ones, so they don't dish quite as much for the amount of metal removed. They still will need to be flattened, though, no way around that.

The Atoma 140 and the DMT XC are both very much worth the money, I'd lean toward the Atoma. I have the DMT, because the Atoma wasn't available when I went looking for diamond plates. They also do a superb job of flattening your stones, no more need for the flattening kit. They don't even compare to the stock 120 for profiling, they are in a totally different league. They cut MUCH faster and do a far better job, since they're not dishing at the same time they're cutting.

Tom over at Jende, or Ken at Chef Knives to Go can tell you everything you'd ever want to know about the Shapton and Chosera stones, and Jende has a superb selection of both, along with the diamond plates. Don't be alarmed that it says they're out of Taiwan, all their shipping is from their location inside the US, and is quite quick. When I first looked at them, I discounted them because I didn't want to have to deal with international shipping and soforth. I later learned differently. D'oh!
 
Hmmmmmm, I may have to order the Atoma 140 today. I've been reprofiling quite a few blades lately and if its a bigger one, its a pain in the rear to have to flatten it halfway through. My other stones don't need flattening very often, so they don't bother me much. I think I'm going to plan on ordering some Chosera stones from CKTG too. I'm thinking the 1,000, 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000 would be a good addition to what I already have. What type of finish do the 5,000 and 10,000 provide vs the 2,000 and 3,000 grit tapes? It would be nice to eliminate the tapes too.
 
The Atoma 140 will save you a TON of time and swearing if you're doing any significant profiling at all, even more on larger blades or ones requiring more material be removed to get the geometry you want. Bear in mind that the stock EP stones do NOT follow the same grading system as the Chosera and Shapton stones, they kind of have their own numbering system that doesn't relate to anything particularly well.

The finish will be superior to the tapes. If you want to see some really good photos of PRECISELY that comparison, give Clay Allison at Wicked Edge an email, or look up the Wicked Edge facebook page. He just completed a comparison between Shapton and Chosera stones, and he did some work with the tapes in there as well. His biggest complaint with the tapes was that they seemed to have some kind of grit irregularities, where there would be just an occasional particle larger than the others that left deeper scratches. He's got a lot of 230X micrographs of the surfaces to detail what he's talking about.

Not to mention the stones aren't delicate the way the tapes are, and you don't have to worry about accidentally nicking them with the blade.
 
Thanks for the help!! I just ordered the Atoma 140 stone and some of the chosera stones are going on my list!!!
 
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