New stone set for my Hapstone R2

Spats McGee

Spats McGee

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Jun 6, 2019
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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
 
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.
 
Dutch87 said:
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.
Click to expand...
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
I know it's been a while since I bought the set, but I've been swamped the past couple of months, to the tune of 60-70 hours a week. Nonetheless, I took a much-needed break last Saturday, and put them through their paces. My wife and I had a Henckels Eversharp knife with micro-serrations and a broken tip. Of course, I started with the 80 grit to remove the serrations and reset that tip. There was quite a bit of steel that needed removal, and the 80 grit definitely did the trick. The set comes with 80, 150, 220, 500, and 1K grit plates. (Naturally, I found the old set that I had misplaced, and those are 200, 600, and 1k.) I want to go back and work on the edge some more, as it's not as slicey as I would like. Nonetheless, and despite only having used them once, I like the Hapstone Start Diamonds a lot. They did the work easily, and provided nice feedback.
Hapstone and Eversharp 001.jpg

Hapstone and Eversharp 002.jpg

Hapstone and Eversharp 003.jpg
 
Spats McGee said:
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.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you went with those. If I saw this thread in time, I would have suggested those from your list. 👌🏻
 
777 Edge said:
I'm glad you went with those. If I saw this thread in time, I would have suggested those from your list. 👌🏻
Click to expand...
Well, I certainly like the set and if it keeps performing like it did on Saturday, I'm pretty sure I'll be recommending them down the line.
 
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