# diamond plates vs waterstones?



## BobinCA (Aug 17, 2016)

I have always used waterstones. ie: Chosera 400, Bester 1200, Suehiro Rika 5000; Gesshin 6000 (stropping); super coarse would be ******** 150, but rarely need to use that.
A friend of mine loaned me his DMT's ie: 320; 600;
When do you use diamond vs waterstone?
and is there one better result than the other?
can you mix diamond in with waterstones?
are diamonds only for woodworking tools?
I only sharpen kitchen knives
Bob


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## ThEoRy (Aug 17, 2016)

Some people like sharpening kitchen knives on dmts. Personally I can't stand them. I will only resort to sharpening on my diamond atomas if its a repair situation and eben then I just can't stand the feeling.


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## panda (Aug 17, 2016)

For speed you can't beat diamonds, but they feel awful, with the exception being the ones offered from jki (1k and 6k, those are awesome.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Aug 17, 2016)

panda said:


> For speed you can't beat diamonds, but they feel awful, with the exception being the ones offered from jki (1k and 6k, those are awesome.



Those are diamond _stones_ offered by JKI, not diamond _plates_ like DMT or Atoma. BIG difference.


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## daveb (Aug 17, 2016)

I started this sharpening thing with DMTs and hunting knives. I still carry them to the woods and use them at home on my Germans and on "other peoples" knives. They are useful at the coarse end and I go from DMT fine to a 1 or 1.2K synthetic. Don't like using them but don't like watching my stones wash down the drain on someone else's Vnox (or equivalent). Should they ever wear out I'll not replace them.


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## benichka (Aug 18, 2016)

Hello! I was wondering the same thing not a year ago:
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/25171-(Another)-question-about-sharpening-gears

I used to use my diamond plates with my sabatier-like knives, but in the end I just use water stones nowadays. I still use my diamond plates when I go to someone's: it very light (the ones in plastic), it won't break in a bag, it won't dish and it lasts (apparently) a VERY long time.

But, like the others members said: the feeling is very horrible compare to a water stone: you have the feeling to sharpen on sandpaper, especially with coarse grit.


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## Ydj32 (Aug 18, 2016)

Waterstones everytime. Diamond places are too rough


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## Steampunk (Aug 18, 2016)

Diamond plates have their uses in sharpening... They work well on soft (<57-58hrc) stainless Euro knives most normal people own, as they grind very quickly and linearly, cut very crisp bevels without the slight convexity you get on stones due to the slurry generation (Which makes the edges feel sharper than you would think, since there is little or no apex erosion.), are very low maintenance, and leave nice toothy edges for steels that cannot normally hold finer ones. They're also useful on pocket knives, especially those made from high-carbide content steels, as they'll cut practically anything and don't release any mud that can work itself into the joint. Lastly, since they stay flat, they work very well for the initial work on western woodworking tools (O1, A2, & D2 mono-steels, etc.); flattening the backs on chisels, and cutting in the primary bevel. I wouldn't recommend nickel-bonded diamond plates for sharpening or thinning hard, Japanese knives; they are very harsh on edges, and soft cladding wears out the plates very quickly. 

The downside is, they do not have a satisfying feel, and the diamonds will slowly get worn down or pulled out of the nickel matrix; they last awhile, but not forever. DMT's used to be made better than they are today, but still are usable, and I particularly like the Fine 600-Mesh grade; it's kind of the gem of the range. Plates are also a little tougher to de-burr on since they are not conformable; your angle control, pressure, and stroke length has to be spot on at the end. A pasted strop is typically a great way to end a diamond plate progression, as this is a pretty fool-proof burr reduction tool. Making a large jump with a broken-in diamond plate from - say - a 600 mesh plate to a 1-3 micron diamond pasted strop to de-burr leaves a wickedly toothy edge! 

When using diamond plates, it helps to add a drop of dish soap to your sharpening water to break the surface tension; when the plate begins to load up, scrub it with some scouring powder and a toothbrush to get it back to proper operating condition. 

Hopefully this helps...

- Steampunk


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## V1P (Aug 18, 2016)

Steampunk, great explanation!


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## psfred (Aug 18, 2016)

Steampunk has it right.

I will just add that coarse diamond plates with rigidly held grit can cause micro-cracking of the edge in very hard carbon steel, resulting in micro-chipping in use. Very annoying. This is why it is recommended by most Japanese woodworking tool makers that traditional Japanese tools be sharpened on natural stones, and I suspect the same applies to knives. 

Modern stainless alloys are probably less prone to micro-cracking, but I would personally not take the risk.

I use diamond plates for a lot of things, including flattening water stones and sharpening HSS lathe tools, but have not used them on knives. I prefer waterstones, I don't like the edge a diamond plate leaves. My personal preference. 

The diamond STONES are a different issue, and I have no experience with them. Probably much like aluminum oxide synthetic stones in feel and cutting, but need much less flattening at a guess. Softer than nickle plated diamond plates, so may not scratch so much, but the grit is still very sharp edged, unlike the grit in natural stones.

Small plates are cheap enough, as are lapping plates if you attach them to something flat, so give them a try. Might suit you very well.

Peter


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## Ydj32 (Aug 19, 2016)

very thorough explaination from Steampunk


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