WATCH THIS before you buy diamond stones for tool/knife sharpening!

How they are made, how to spot a good one, what you need to know about the junk.
Diamond stone I recommend►
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[StumpyNubs]

Diamond stone I recommend►
(We may benefit financially if you use the above affiliate links.)

HELP KEEP OUR VIDEOS FREE! Please support those who support us by visiting their websites and having a quick look around-

[timberrecycling]

No annoying loud music, incredibly thorough and comprehensive information. I love your channel!

[fletcherbrown]

What a pleasure to watch/listen to a knowledgeable professional, who has prepared an excellent script, and presents it so clearly - with NO distracting background music, no "hey Yo - whats up Youtube". This is as good as teaching gets. Not just an advertisement to entice clicking of affiliate links - just good, solid, dependable information. Well done!

[dulcamarabuffo]

This was one of the best, most concise explanations that I have yet to see. Thanks so much.

[Imightberiding]

I have had 3 diamond stones (400, 800, 1200) similar to the yellow plastic one that was shown in the video for almost 20 years. I epoxied each of them to a flat smooth piece of 3/4" granite that were off-cuts from a kitchen renovation I did. I cut each piece of granite the size of the diamond plates (about 2 1/4" x 6") & then epoxied them to the top. The result is a very flat solid set of diamond sharpening stones that have lasted for a couple decades so far. I also applied grip tape, used on stair treads or skateboards, to the bottom of each stone so they stay in place while using them.

I have used them often over the years & still use them regularly for almost all my sharpening tasks (depending on the tool, axe, knife or chisel etc) & I have always used a solution of windex & water or simple green. I rinse them in hot water after each use, occasionally I'll use a brush as well (finger nail brush or vegetable brush) while rinsing & then let them air dry on their sides. I have never had a problem with them rusting or delaminating & they still cut just fine.

[musamor]

This is the common sense channel. Quite simply the best I've seen so far. There's no superfluous rubbish- it's straight to the point. Excellent advice. You're well up on every subject you advise on.
I was brought up on oilstones, but am considering the diamond stone option. Thank you for your sharing your knowledge.
Greetings from France.

[thepracticalblade]

Good advice on stopping at 1k then stropping.

I go to 200k (Yes, really), but I essentially only do that as a ritual at this point - the process is relaxing to me. It's cool to see how sharp you can really get something, and the mirror edges are really nice as well. But, I'll be the first to confirm... I've taken a knife to that level of sharpness, cut up all the cardboard boxes for my weekly trash haul, and already been back to a point where even shaving is a struggle. It's cool, but it doesn't last.

[americangraffiti]

He is correct in describing " serviceable sharpness" I however am one of those who find joy in the art of creating an edge worthy of superlatives. Learning everything I can in the pursuit of the perfect edge... Necessary? Probably not. But there's nothing wrong with the pursuit of perfection.

[mark-kfmd]

The reviews on Tend diamond stones indicate issues with raised edges, that they are not flat, inconsistent diamond coverage and last but not least they wear too fast. If these issues do not present themselves to a percentage of buyers that just means the quality control and consistency of manufacture is less than what it should be for the price.

[dexpeavy]

I love to sharpen and have used most types of stones and brands over the past 50 years. I have been using the "cheap" yellow DMT product(s) shown in your video since the early 80's and have never had a problem with ANY of them!

[camerongaul]

Thank you so much for making this video. I tried the cheap diamond stones and thought I just sucked at sharpening because of how difficult it was to get the chisels razor sharp on diamond stones. I saw this and bought ones which had the electro process described, now I'm a weirdo who enjoys sharpening and I'm gonna get near all the sharp objects!

[tomweller]

Thanks James. I have been struggling with all the "expert" advice that is out there. This was clear and easy to understand. You have answered more than one of my questions on this topic. The UP thanks you, eh.

[michael_the_chef]

Atoma is the best and lasts the longest, tried all of them, at least for all kind of knives. For polish Ing i use higher grit japanese Water stones, suehiro, shapton and my favourite: naniwa chosera.

Depending on the usecase of the knife, i go up to 3k-8k and strop them a few times on the rough leather side up after that. If i want to get a toothy edge, i strop one side of the edge a few times over a 3k stone or a leather with a 4k diamond compound.

I fixed and regrinded a ton of knives on my 400 grit atoma, after wearing in, it doesnt seem to be as aggressive to the touch of my finger as new, as soon as i put a blade on it, it still cuts a lot faster than any other stone.
I like diamond plates only, if it has to be fast, i need to fix something deep, reprofiling or i need a very toothy edge, otherwise i prefer proper whetstones. The edge of a diamond sharpened tool isnt the same as sharpend on a whetstone.

[LastBastian]

I'm a hobbyist knife maker, I have set of DMT brand stones with the yellow plastic backing like you show. You call them cheap and sub par, (they cost around $75 per stone) but I've used them for a decade now. Sharpened many hundreds of knives using water... with no problems. 🤷‍♂️

But if/when they ever wear out, I might try a "Trend" brand. Looks like they cost around $20 more. Not sure I'd bother with fancy fluids though. That seems like a real pain, IMO.

[richardhaas]

I used the Trend lubricant but found it no better than the rubbing alcohol I have used for years. And yes, lubricating makes a great difference.

[robertbarr]

What an excellent, informative, well-presented video. Even concisely summarised at the end!
Well done and thank you.

[man_at_the_end_of_time]

I used a coarse (Harbor Freight) diamond plate to level a stone, I've been using the stone for 60 years.

[Bob_Adkins]

Something more important to protecting your diamond stones than oil and water: Avoid high pressure on the stone. If you bear down too hard, say 20 pounds on something like a narrow chisel, you could get 1000 PSI at the point of contact, causing damage to the stone. Remember, when the contact area goes down, the PSI goes up!

[brianm.]

FYI, I'm one of those weirdos that love to sharpen their tools and find it a moment of zen. :)

[MountainFisher]

I have a very good EZE Lap diamond plate embedded on a wood base. I sharpen by hand and I hold the stone and knife in my hands when I sharpen. (It's how I learned) The wood base is helpful to keep me from slipping and scratching the blades. It started as a medium grit, but is now medium fine, but then again it is 16 years old. I use water on it as its a stainless metal. I use my diamond first and then finish with a hard Arkansas stone just to polish the edge up. Most of my cutting tools get a working edge or a butcher's edge. A polished edge so sharp you can shave your face with is too sharp for many applications, although I do polish the edges on my leather tools. I make knives for a profitable hobby and have done so for 25 years now. A diamond stone is a necessity for some of the high vanadium steels as they are very wear resistant. I made a knife from D2 tool steel and found sharpening it with a regular stone took way too long and then I found out about diamond stones.