So im looking for the best value stones

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Doc_Holidaze

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Mar 14, 2013
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I am looking into getting the Razor Edge System for sharpening, I was wondering if there were any better value stones out there that i could substitute for the stones that the Razor edge system company sells. They seem a little pricey and im on a budget. I want best quality with best price. Any suggetions bladeforums members?
 
Doc_Holidaze said:
I am looking into getting the Razor Edge System for sharpening, I was wondering if there were any better value stones out there that i could substitute for the stones that the Razor edge system company sells. They seem a little pricey and im on a budget. I want best quality with best price. Any suggetions bladeforums members?
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Check out the 'imperfect' ones they carry, a set of 6" imperfect stones is very inexpensive. I have the fine hone they sell and its very good quality, cannot vouch for the coarse stone but have heard good things about that too. A combination Norton India stone or Crystalon will run about the same. If you're really on a budget the 6" Norton economy stone at Home Depot is not bad. My local Ace hardware sells a combination SiC stone for 8 bucks, so does my local Sears.
 
HeavyHanded said:
Check out the 'imperfect' ones they carry, a set of 6" imperfect stones is very inexpensive. I have the fine hone they sell and its very good quality, cannot vouch for the coarse stone but have heard good things about that too. A combination Norton India stone or Crystalon will run about the same. If you're really on a budget the 6" Norton economy stone at Home Depot is not bad. My local Ace hardware sells a combination SiC stone for 8 bucks, so does my local Sears.
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thank you, i went to the site and went to the imperfect stones i found one of the 8 inchers for a discount price, but not the other, so i have knocked some of the total cost so far, unless i can find some used Razor Edge System Gear, it looks like i gotta by new. The reason why i want the 8 inch stones is ive seen a few people claim "should of got the 8inchers" once once they already have the 6inchers.
 
Doc_Holidaze said:
thank you, i went to the site and went to the imperfect stones i found one of the 8 inchers for a discount price, but not the other, so i have knocked some of the total cost so far, unless i can find some used Razor Edge System Gear, it looks like i gotta by new. The reason why i want the 8 inch stones is ive seen a few people claim "should of got the 8inchers" once once they already have the 6inchers.
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You know, I keep thinking I should have gotten the 6" stones as they're that much more portable. The style I use to freehand I can do a machete on a 6 inch stone. The extra space is nice, but there's a big jump in price depending on the stone.
 
I prefer the 6 inch stones as well, but that really is all about style and preference. And the economy stones are great stones for the price like heavyhanded says. If you're looking for fancy ceramic ones like Razor Edge sells, it's either them or spyderco. I have had little luck finding any alternatives.
 
HeavyHanded said:
You know, I keep thinking I should have gotten the 6" stones as they're that much more portable. The style I use to freehand I can do a machete on a 6 inch stone. The extra space is nice, but there's a big jump in price depending on the stone.
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maybe ill get the one 6 inch imperfect and the one 8 inch imperfect so i save money, and get experience with both sizes
 
Doc_Holidaze said:
maybe ill get the one 6 inch imperfect and the one 8 inch imperfect so i save money, and get experience with both sizes
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The fine one is pretty tough, I'd probably get the fine in a 6" and get the coarse in 8". If you ever to do any serious work repairing or changing edge angles the extra space will come in handy. I have heard the coarse is nicely aggressive and also sheds some grit during use. Those imperfect offers are one of the best deals to be had for general purpose sharpening IMHO. Pretty sure they will handle any steel out there - the fine one is silicon carbide, pretty sure the coarse one is as well.
 
I'm going to suggest the case hard Arkansas stone....I don't know if I just got lucky or what but I could push cut phone book paper with a old buck fixed blade I sharpened on that stone...I'm talking about the one that comes in clear plasic case, it runs around $15 shipped....Just my $0.02

Hope it helps!

-niner
 
I've always liked a combination 6" stone as it's very portable. Plus, it will handle most any knife I carry. The 8" combination India is very nice and offers one more room in case we don't all use the same technique. DM
 
Value is relative. If you plan on sharpening a lot of knives, and only want to buy once, buy diamond stones. If you will sharpen a lot of knives on the Razor edge systems stones, you might wear a few out in a lifetime. For occasional use, 1 stone might last a lifetime. I've bought some Razor Edge gear, my take...the cub guide is great and big enough for most pocket, hunting, paring and small kitchen knives. Don't spend the money on the big guide unless you have really big wide "Bowie" or kitchen knives to sharpen. I was not too impressed with the stones, "fine" was still pretty coarse as a finishing stone IMO, and probably coarse enough for anything short of re-profiling. It wore away fairly fast too. The coarse stone was...very aggressive. Just my opinion, YMMV, but the best things to spend your money on from Razor Edge are the cub guide, the steels, and the edge testers
 
Value is as it gives longevity a measurable amount in use and time. Norton or Sticks and Stones could mfg. the stones for Razor Edge. These stones will last a lifetime even with leveling as I've already used mine for 25+yrs. and they look like they will go another 30yrs.. Some on here have the fine stone and have stated it was about a 600 grit. So, I guess mileage does vary. DM
 
I have used DMT 6" bench hones (coarse, medium and fine) for about two decades now and have yet to wear one out. They still cut steel as well as when new, maybe better.
 
The finer stone is, as stated above, is a nice stone. The coarse stone not so much. I would agree diamond plates are a better alternative.

But in any case the Shapton Pro stones, say the 220 or 320 and the 1K or 1.5K, are vastly superior to either of the Razor Edge stones.
 
9blades said:
I'm going to suggest the case hard Arkansas stone....I don't know if I just got lucky or what but I could push cut phone book paper with a old buck fixed blade I sharpened on that stone...I'm talking about the one that comes in clear plasic case, it runs around $15 shipped....Just my $0.02

Hope it helps!

-niner
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i like the sound of 15 bucks, i will defently look into these arkansas stone, howerver no im intriged by these diamond stones people talk of. im sure i wont be able to afford them.
 
If you're looking at diamonds, look at getting a set of cheap ones from harbor freight or some such. It'll cover the courser range but the fine/extra fine will cost some money
 
I have to agree with the posts above regarding buying quality stones the first time.

Instead of going with cheaper stones that have to be replaced. (Not all diamonds are the same!)

I have been using DMT stones for 15+ years and highly recommend their products over anything else.

That said, in order to find them at a good price, you will have to look around various online dealers.
 
i just looked at the diamond stones and it looks like for two stones extra/corse/corse and extra fine/fine it would be 120 bucks, i think i will start with the basica and work my way up.
 
I do agree with buying quality, but for the price, the harbor freight ones are good quality. I haven't had an issue with them. They only go up to 360grit(ish) but that's alright for stock removal work and is a perfect spot to start off with the dmt fine then extra fine stones (which is where the grit control really counts). And to be honest, the last 3 dmt stones i got, weren't that amazing. Things can change
 
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