- Joined
- Mar 29, 1999
- Messages
- 330
Dear friends,
it is about 20 years I use to sharpen my knives myself.
Fifteen years ago, I bought a Smith Medium Arkansas and a Smith Hard Arkansas and since five years ago I was very happy with them. I was able to sharpen all my knives to a good razor edge (not very hair-popping, but I could either give a good quick edge or an hair-shaving one, spending some more time and some more care).
There was only a knife I wasn't able to sharpen properly: a Cold Steel Large Shinobu Tanto (year 1990), San Mai. I was able to obtain a good edge on the blade, but its point was (and is) quite thick. It needed, and need, a lot of hard work.
After that knife, I bought some other knives, from Spyderco, Case, Cold Steel, and I started to have problems in sharpening more often. When I bought a Benchmade 800HSS I achieved a total panic!
I wasn't able to sharpen it!
The problem is that my stones are quite old and used, so are eroded, and it is very difficult to maintain always the same angle. Moreover, it seems that some steels are very hard and wear-resistent, like the stone itself (just kidding a little).
I am still able to sharpen 440C quite nicely.
I bought some other stones and a triangular ceramic rod, but it seems I bought cheap stuff that can't work at the level I want.
So I decided to buy a new good stone to solve my problems. I went to two well-known knife-shops and asked for it. One of them adviced me for a Japanese stone (I cannot tell the brand, it was all written in Japanese Kanji), say 8x3x1 inches, light orange, grit 1000, it seems a man-made one. Just to describe it better, it is made in grit 600, 800, 1000 and 6000. Its price is $ 52 USD, $ 70 USD for grit 6000.
The other man adviced me for a DMT W6_P Whetstone, grit 1200. Its price is $ 78 USD.
Looking at those prices, you can have discovered I am not in USA.
The final question is: given I like sharpening my knives free-hand, what kind of stone among the Japanese and the DMT you think it is better, at those prices? Please, be open-minded and forget "Buy American!" for only few moments. I need a real good advice. When I started my quest, my budget was $ 40 USD. I will be pleased to spend 78 bucks, but does DMT worth it? Or is the Japanese stone not so good as the DMT, but his quality gap is lesser than the gap between $ 52 and $ 78?
If I bought DMT on Internet, its price, added with taxes and fees to import it, would be greater than $ 70 USD.
Please, I need your help. I am not using my knives, because I cannot resharpen them!
Falcenberg
it is about 20 years I use to sharpen my knives myself.
Fifteen years ago, I bought a Smith Medium Arkansas and a Smith Hard Arkansas and since five years ago I was very happy with them. I was able to sharpen all my knives to a good razor edge (not very hair-popping, but I could either give a good quick edge or an hair-shaving one, spending some more time and some more care).
There was only a knife I wasn't able to sharpen properly: a Cold Steel Large Shinobu Tanto (year 1990), San Mai. I was able to obtain a good edge on the blade, but its point was (and is) quite thick. It needed, and need, a lot of hard work.
After that knife, I bought some other knives, from Spyderco, Case, Cold Steel, and I started to have problems in sharpening more often. When I bought a Benchmade 800HSS I achieved a total panic!
I wasn't able to sharpen it!
The problem is that my stones are quite old and used, so are eroded, and it is very difficult to maintain always the same angle. Moreover, it seems that some steels are very hard and wear-resistent, like the stone itself (just kidding a little).
I am still able to sharpen 440C quite nicely.
I bought some other stones and a triangular ceramic rod, but it seems I bought cheap stuff that can't work at the level I want.
So I decided to buy a new good stone to solve my problems. I went to two well-known knife-shops and asked for it. One of them adviced me for a Japanese stone (I cannot tell the brand, it was all written in Japanese Kanji), say 8x3x1 inches, light orange, grit 1000, it seems a man-made one. Just to describe it better, it is made in grit 600, 800, 1000 and 6000. Its price is $ 52 USD, $ 70 USD for grit 6000.
The other man adviced me for a DMT W6_P Whetstone, grit 1200. Its price is $ 78 USD.
Looking at those prices, you can have discovered I am not in USA.
The final question is: given I like sharpening my knives free-hand, what kind of stone among the Japanese and the DMT you think it is better, at those prices? Please, be open-minded and forget "Buy American!" for only few moments. I need a real good advice. When I started my quest, my budget was $ 40 USD. I will be pleased to spend 78 bucks, but does DMT worth it? Or is the Japanese stone not so good as the DMT, but his quality gap is lesser than the gap between $ 52 and $ 78?
If I bought DMT on Internet, its price, added with taxes and fees to import it, would be greater than $ 70 USD.
Please, I need your help. I am not using my knives, because I cannot resharpen them!
Falcenberg
But I did manage to find the Klein at a specialty electrical outlet. This is basically a textured flat bar (which can also be used as a chisel and pry bar, btw) in a nice leather sheath (attached to the bar). But EXPENSIVE.