New stone set for my Hapstone R2

[Spats McGee]

For a while, I've been considering a new stone set for my Hapstone R2. I bought the R2 used, and the stones that I have appear to be the original. They feel worn, but not necessarily worn out. Being diamond, I feel like they should cut faster. So I've been sifting through my usual traps, trying to find a good match for my needs. As much as I like the idea of a new set fo fancy-schmancy stones, I have a real hard time justifying several hundred dollars at my (beginner) skill level. So here are a few that I'm seriously considering and would appreciate any feedback y'all could give me. Most of what I sharpen is S30V, 154CM, and other fairly mild steels.

Hapstone Start CBN stones set: https://hapstone.pro/stones/sets3/hapstone-start-cbn-stones-set

Boride CS-HD series stones set: https://hapstone.pro/stones/sets3/boride-cs-hd-series-stones-set

Silicon Carbide Stone Set 6" x 1": https://www.gritomatic.com/products/silicon-carbide-stone-set-for-edge-pro

Thanks in advance,
Spats

 

[Dutch87]

I think you have the have the same silicon carbide set listed twice from different sellers, or at least those are nearly identical sets.

I have that Boride CS set but I haven't gotten around to using it. My understanding is that frangible silicon carbide stones can wear out rather quick if used on softer steels. I have read that they should do fine for S30V though.

I ended up investing in new Venev diamond resin stones and they have carried me very far and still have loads of life left in them. I bought the Venev Ursa stones because I love narrow stones.

To get better cutting power and good grit coverage for minimum cash layout, I would recommend Venev Centaur double sided diamond resin stones. Get a 100-240, and a 400-800 for about $150. They cut good on all steels and would last a long time unlike electroplated sets.

It would be better to have more grits, higher grits, and have each grit on it's own blank, of course, but for under $200, I think Venev double diamonds are the way to go.

You might still get a dirt cheap electroplated diamond set from china just to use the low grits to hog off material quicker.

 

[Spats McGee]

I think you have the have the same silicon carbide set listed twice from different sellers, or at least those are nearly identical sets.

I have that Boride CS set but I haven't gotten around to using it. My understanding is that frangible silicon carbide stones can wear out rather quick if used on softer steels. I have read that they should do fine for S30V though.

I ended up investing in new Venev diamond resin stones and they have carried me very far and still have loads of life left in them. I bought the Venev Ursa stones because I love narrow stones.

To get better cutting power and good grit coverage for minimum cash layout, I would recommend Venev Centaur double sided diamond resin stones. Get a 100-240, and a 400-800 for about $150. They cut good on all steels and would last a long time unlike electroplated sets.

It would be better to have more grits, higher grits, and have each grit on it's own blank, of course, but for under $200, I think Venev double diamonds are the way to go.

You might still get a dirt cheap electroplated diamond set from china just to use the low grits to hog off material quicker.

Yeah, that does sound like something I would do, listing the same set from two different sellers ...

I have the same understanding about silicon carbide, but cannot understand for the life of me how or why a softer steel would wear them out more quickly than a harder one. But then again, I'm just a big old word nerd.

Thanks for the input.

 

[abrasivetools]

CBN is standard for steels
Hapstone Start is only 2 mm thick
Metal bond for coarse grain sizes
Resin bond- for finer ones
CBN sharpening stones economy starter pack - on eBay or Google

 

[Spats McGee]

FWIW to anyone who reads this later, I settled on the Hapstone Start Diamond set. 5 stones with grits ranging from 80 to 1000. That should cover all of my needs without spending a fortune. I know they're only 2mm thick, but it's not like I sharpen things for a living. Thanks again to all that helped me out here.