Waterstones vs Diamonds, in terms of life

R

rachet197

Joined
Jul 16, 2011
Messages
145
I am going to be buying some sharpening stones, waterstones and diamonds seem to be loved.

How do waterstones compare to diamonds in terms of life.
We are going to be talking about 1 inch thick waterstones either Nortons or Kings.
In terms of diamonds lets just only talk about DMTs.
Each 8 inches long.

Also I know that waterstones are higher maintenance.

Thx in advance
 
I don't have any experience with DMT diamond, but I would think that the diamond stones would last longer than water stones.
 
I've used my DMT 8" hones for close to two decades and they cut as well or even better than when new.
 
diamond stones do wear out over time and get duller. A water stone (synthetic) will scratch steel consistently however they will not stay flat with out special techniques or maintenance.

I think you already knew that but you may be able to squeeze a little more life to a water stone life if you use the other areas that most people just flatten with sandpaper or w.e Murray carter has some techniques on how to use those areas.

Short answer: less 600 grit use diamonds greater use water stones.

long answer: I personally have sharpened on both and like the diamonds for very abrasive/low grit cutting cause even when they dull they are very serviceable. The diamonds however are not very consistent due to diamonds popping out or uneven wear. But then I will use water stones to refine the edge to something consistent.

Also natural water stones wear very little if you are lucky enough to get one that is consistent and suits your sharpening style.
 
i originallybused steelex and suehiro but recently changed over to king waterstones. i kinda jumped on to the murray carter bandwagon. i found the king syone harder and more dense which made it cut better better and less likely to shave off a layer if your technique gets sloppy.
 
ken1111 said:
i originallybused steelex and suehiro but recently changed over to king waterstones. i kinda jumped on to the murray carter bandwagon. i found the king syone harder and more dense which made it cut better better and less likely to shave off a layer if your technique gets sloppy.
Click to expand...

Have you used norton waterstones?
 
ken1111 said:
i originallybused steelex and suehiro but recently changed over to king waterstones. i kinda jumped on to the murray carter bandwagon. i found the king syone harder and more dense which made it cut better better and less likely to shave off a layer if your technique gets sloppy.
Click to expand...

That's very strange considering they are lower grit density and have a clay matrix. Which means they are soft, gouge easily, and cut slowly.
 
rachet197 unfortunately i have not tried them.

knifenut1013 i was comparing between brands of waterstones at the same grit. i believe the different brands use different types of abrasive and binders. i found that the king stones have a harder or more wear resistant perhaps due to the abrasive and binder king stones uses.
 
Last edited:
rachet197 said:
I am going to be buying some sharpening stones, waterstones and diamonds seem to be loved.

How do waterstones compare to diamonds in terms of life.
We are going to be talking about 1 inch thick waterstones either Nortons or Kings.
In terms of diamonds lets just only talk about DMTs.
Each 8 inches long.

Also I know that waterstones are higher maintenance.

Thx in advance
Click to expand...


My experience with Norton and King waterstones is that the Kings will last longer and are a better choice for the more common stainless (Aus6,8, 440C) and carbon steels. They can be quite challenging when attempting some of the tougher stainless. The Nortons are very aggressive and seem to wear fairly quickly. They do a much better job on some of the tougher steels out there, can grind most steel very quickly, but in my opinion are a bit more challenging to use on the more common stainless. The 8000 grit wears slowly compared to the 1000 and 4000. All depends on what steels you think you'll be working with the most.
 
I would chose diamonds because they are lighter usually and you don't need any water for them to work. Also diamonds cut the higherend steels better than waterstones.
 
sintro said:
I would chose diamonds because they are lighter usually and you don't need any water for them to work. Also diamonds cut the higherend steels better than waterstones.
Click to expand...

that is very true a diamond stone with out water will clog but still be usable. a synthetic waterstone will develop a metal layer from the steel you are sharpening and will not work. though on a side note that layer is good for polishinga mirror edge.
 
Well, never heard that about letting the waterstone clogging to use it for a higher grit finish.

Also, by no water I meant you could also spit on the stone if you wanted to.
 
lol yes spit would work on a diamond stone and not a water stone. lol dont want a spit saturated water stone that would smell..... bad.

i believe that the thought process for a vlogg watersrone polishing is that steel of the same hardness rubbing on each other will flatten each other out therefore polishing. however dont let it sit in the stone wash it out right after. i was lazy one day and the steel rusted and contaminated my stone. hence why i have tried multiple brands. water stones >1in thick take a loooooong time to wear out
 
imho an average knife user is more likely to break a waterstone by dropping it than to wear it ...

i sharpen large knives, with wide bevels very often, not daily but pretty close, so far in 10 years i have broken 3 stones, worn 2, a 1k/220 combo from suehiro i think and a 3k naniwa ss that still works but is pretty thin now. and the 3k is pretty soft and my most used stone my 1k shapton pro is much slower to wear and is about twice as thick right now, same for the polishers, naniwa 5 and 10 k SS. they wear slower as their work is less demanding. if you sharpen your edc when it gets dull and basta, a good set of stones will last a lifetime or close.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top