# Are any of the very inexpensive diamond sharpening plate worth having?



## 2bApical? (Jan 3, 2019)

I need like a 1000 grit, maybe 400 ish and 3k-4k. The inexpensive silicone carbide stones I have do not impress me. I like the idea of diamonds speed but don't like the price of the DMT's. Any sleeper diamond plates out there. Mainly need an everyday or every few day grit. Not into soaking. Thanks


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## HRC_64 (Jan 3, 2019)

inexpensive diamonds is an tough one... 

AFAIK... the cheaper ones have thinner diamond layers and/or
they use diamonds that breakdown faster and/or 
the bond to the plate are weaker so they shed faster

1200 atoma or DMT are reputable but not cheap


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## PalmRoyale (Jan 4, 2019)

If you want the best quality for the best price Tsuboman Atoma is the way to go. They're fast, consistent and last a long time. If you simply want the best possible quality Noritake is the way to go. It's more expensive but the quality is unmatched.

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/c712302754?lang=en&rc=yaucb


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## rick alen (Jan 12, 2019)

Jon's set of 1K and 6k stones are probably hard to beat for sharpening jobs, 4mm of resin bonded diamond


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## JBroida (Jan 12, 2019)

not even close to 4mm... more like 2mm of thickness... we have other stones that are close to 4mm, but they arent the ones in the set


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## daveb (Jan 12, 2019)

"If you want the best quality for the best price....."

Me thinks the man is looking for a budget minded solution. If DMT @ $80ish for a duo stone is high then JKI Diamond Stones prob ding warrant discussion.

OP - "Smith" does a low cost knockoff of DMT, available at Lowes, etc. Its what I used on hunting knives before I fell into the rabbit pit. It doesn't suck.


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## inferno (Jan 12, 2019)

2bApical? said:


> I need like a 1000 grit, maybe 400 ish and 3k-4k. The inexpensive silicone carbide stones I have do not impress me. I like the idea of diamonds speed but don't like the price of the DMT's. Any sleeper diamond plates out there. Mainly need an everyday or every few day grit. Not into soaking. Thanks



basically NO.

Also the only diamond plates worth owning are the coarse ones. the high grits from lets say 500 and up are much much better handled by real stones. I recommend the shapton glass since these are the slowest wearing ones i've tried. if you look up the site scienceofsharp he test different diamond plates and then put the blades under a SEM (scanning electron microscope) and guess what. only the dmt 325 and 600 are good. the higher grit ones actually makes the edges DULLER! yeah real science. proven with science.

i have the dmt coarse (325 grit)
atoma 400
dmt diaflat 10 inch 160
dianovas biggest 60/30 micron its maybe 4x2 inch
some crapola C/F for 25€ 6x2
also tried the atoma 140 but i dont own it.

the dmt C handles maybe 2 blade thinnings before it "turns fine" and loses its bite. its still has the diamonds on there but its lost it bite big time. still quite fast. not so good for flattening stones since its gets stuck on the stones like vacuum.

the atoma 400 also only handles about 2 good thinnings before it loses bite. but i still think its quite a bit faster than the worn dmt C even after its lost its initial bite (talking sharpening and metal removal). its also lighter and easier to handle when flattening stones. no suction effect.

the diaflat its quite a brutal stone. its ultra aggressive, this one uses the hard coat technology that is supposed to be the same as real industrial machine grinder coatings (which the regular dmr and the atoma definitely isn't).
i have thinned several knives and several stones with it, including 4 quite warped sintered al-ox stone (missarka stones) and it still has very much bite. its not as bitey as new but its not bad to be honest.
this is also available as an 8 inch and that one is cheaper. one thing though. when thinning blades you have to follow up with a 220 or so waterstone. the scratches are so deep its insane. and obviously its ultra fast.
it seems i cant make this stone lose its bite. and i use maximum pressure when thinning on this stone (which really kills other diamond stones pretty fast).

dianovas are not real bench stones, these are double sided thin flat "steels". these also lose bite but they dont get that much finer with use. good for hand holding.

crapola cheap ass diamond stone, dont know the brand. this one visibly lost diamonds after about 2 minutes of reshaping the tip of a global. the stone is basically 2 thin sheets with a plastic core. and they all came quite warped (i bought 3 since they were cheap, but i could just as well have bought 150mm dmts for the price in retrospect). no way to bend then into shape. tried to flatten a stone with one and the stone wore off all the diamonds on both ends after about 30 seconds. total crap and money wasted. they work on knives though.

atoma 140 is good and fast. much faster than the 400 but i have a feeling it will also lose its bit quite fast after a few thinnings just like the 400. very fast on stones but i feel i will have to use a finer stone on fine stones like 2k and up since the plate is so coarse. its the same with the diaflat, its just very very coarse. for high grit stones i usually rub 2 regular flattened stones together to get the needed finish on there. like a 12k and an 8k. or a 1k and a 3k (not needed for the 1k but for the 3k). the atoma 400 is more useful for knives though i think. but slower for stones.

---------------------------------

personally i would simply save up for a quality plate. Atoma/dmt/ez-lap the smaller ones are quite cheap the 150mm. personally i wouldn't bother with them though since an 8 inch will be so much faster on both knives and stones so its not really worth it to get the small ones. atomas are better for stones and dmts are better for blades (unless we're talking the diaflat since its total beast for both).
can't go wrong with either though. get both 

also just so you know. no diamond stone is faster than the shapton glass/pro 220 on steel. these are like 100% faster.


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## inferno (Jan 12, 2019)

I think the difference between the dmt/atoma and the diaflat dmt is the process used. the cheap ones use diamond dust in nickel plating. basically an electrical/chemical process and the diaflat is most likely some thermal process. but it can't be that high temp though. at most 700-800C or so (since above that temp diamonds aka carbon will turn into something called carbon dioxide, and thats a gas)


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## inferno (Jan 12, 2019)

JBroida said:


> not even close to 4mm... more like 2mm of thickness... we have other stones that are close to 4mm, but they arent the ones in the set


 how long do these last compared to atomas in your opinion?


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## JBroida (Jan 12, 2019)

much longer for me... atomas give me about a year max based on how we use them... dmt about 4-6 months (about on par with the flattening pates we sell, though i like the ones we have as they stick a bit less). The diamond stones last we between 2-4 years depending on which ones we're talking about and what i've using it for. Also, I have diamond stones that cut faster than your shapton 220  (not plates, but rather stones)


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## inferno (Jan 12, 2019)

which stones do you have that will outcut the shapton glass 220? i might try it.
but as it is now i have about 28-29mm of shapton pro 220 left (i glued 2 of them together), and maybe 5mm of glass 220 left (these are 7mm when new).

Can you tell us the manufacturing process for these thicker diamond layers. is it simply diamond dust in a plastic or diamond dust mixed in a "regular" stone?

to be honest i have been quite disappointed with dmts regular stones and atomas since they lose bite (and efficiency) so quickly. thats why i bought the diaflat. and the diaflat seems to be several 1000% more durable. it still lost initial bite quite fast (after 4 missarkas) but its still ultra efficient. those 4 stones would probably have totally killed an atoma 140 imo. i dont think i will be able to kill the diaflat any time soon with flattening stones and thinning projects. i'd say its highly unlikely. and it also comes with a 5 year warranty 

how many manufacturers did you try before settling on the ones you now sell?


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## JBroida (Jan 13, 2019)

i had a 400 girt version of my 800 grit vitrified diamond stone made... its crazy fast, but it also dishes faster than the 800 (WAY slower than the 220 though)... that being said, it dished too fast for the $400 it cost me. Even the 800 is close to the speed of the shapton.


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## Keith Sinclair (Jan 15, 2019)

Cheap diamond plates are not worth it. The Atoma 140 is a good plate and they have gone down in price. Paid almost 100.00 for my first one years ago. Last one I bought was under 75.00. Like it better than the X coarse DMT. 

Have the 1000 grit JKI diamond stone. It has held up very well for the various sharpening duties use it for.


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## 2bApical? (Jan 17, 2019)

inferno said:


> basically NO.
> 
> Also the only diamond plates worth owning are the coarse ones. the high grits from lets say 500 and up are much much better handled by real stones. I recommend the shapton glass since these are the slowest wearing ones i've tried. if you look up the site scienceofsharp he test different diamond plates and then put the blades under a SEM (scanning electron microscope) and guess what. only the dmt 325 and 600 are good. the higher grit ones actually makes the edges DULLER! yeah real science. proven with science.
> 
> ...





inferno said:


> basically NO.
> 
> Also the only diamond plates worth owning are the coarse ones. the high grits from lets say 500 and up are much much better handled by real stones. I recommend the shapton glass since these are the slowest wearing ones i've tried. if you look up the site scienceofsharp he test different diamond plates and then put the blades under a SEM (scanning electron microscope) and guess what. only the dmt 325 and 600 are good. the higher grit ones actually makes the edges DULLER! yeah real science. proven with science.
> 
> ...


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## 2bApical? (Jan 17, 2019)

inferno said:


> basically NO.
> 
> Also the only diamond plates worth owning are the coarse ones. the high grits from lets say 500 and up are much much better handled by real stones. I recommend the shapton glass since these are the slowest wearing ones i've tried. if you look up the site scienceofsharp he test different diamond plates and then put the blades under a SEM (scanning electron microscope) and guess what. only the dmt 325 and 600 are good. the higher grit ones actually makes the edges DULLER! yeah real science. proven with science.
> 
> ...





inferno said:


> basically NO.
> 
> Also the only diamond plates worth owning are the coarse ones. the high grits from lets say 500 and up are much much better handled by real stones. I recommend the shapton glass since these are the slowest wearing ones i've tried. if you look up the site scienceofsharp he test different diamond plates and then put the blades under a SEM (scanning electron microscope) and guess what. only the dmt 325 and 600 are good. the higher grit ones actually makes the edges DULLER! yeah real science. proven with science.
> 
> ...


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## 2bApical? (Jan 17, 2019)

inferno said:


> basically NO.
> 
> Also the only diamond plates worth owning are the coarse ones. the high grits from lets say 500 and up are much much better handled by real stones. I recommend the shapton glass since these are the slowest wearing ones i've tried. if you look up the site scienceofsharp he test different diamond plates and then put the blades under a SEM (scanning electron microscope) and guess what. only the dmt 325 and 600 are good. the higher grit ones actually makes the edges DULLER! yeah real science. proven with science.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the informative response inferno. The scienceofsharp info was quite surprising. The edge from the 600 looked pretty good. Rather unbelievable how the higher grits mangled the 600 grit edge. The 6 inch 600 grit diasharp are fairly reasonable but probable too coarse for everyday touching up. Looks like I should just put out for the Shapton Pro which is so near universally respected.


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## 2bApical? (Feb 24, 2019)

inferno said:


> basically NO.
> 
> Also the only diamond plates worth owning are the coarse ones. the high grits from lets say 500 and up are much much better handled by real stones. I recommend the shapton glass since these are the slowest wearing ones i've tried. if you look up the site scienceofsharp he test different diamond plates and then put the blades under a SEM (scanning electron microscope) and guess what. only the dmt 325 and 600 are good. the higher grit ones actually makes the edges DULLER! yeah real science. proven with science.
> 
> ...


Yo inferno, that Science of Sharp diamond stone progression showing a rougher surface above 600 has me brain tweaked a bit. There is someone else on youtube seemingly showing a much better edge from a higher grit dmt than SOS from the side. How can a company with the status of dmt be putting out stones above 600 that tear up a knife so bad? Mr. burrfection compared an Atoma 1200 to a Bester 1200 and got excellent results cutting paper with the Atoma, he said equal results but it seemed to me that the Atoma 1200 was a bit smoother. SOS did say that his conclusion wasn't universal to all diamond stones. In this video there is a side view of a 1000 grit whetstone vs a 1200 grit DMT starting a 3:00. The side view of the diamond 1200 looks pretty good.


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## PalmRoyale (Feb 24, 2019)

It baffles me how fast some of you are going through diamond plates. I bought the Atoma 600 and 1200 I'm using right now 2 years ago for my chisels and plane blades at work and they're still going strong. Maybe it's the iron cladding of a knife that wreaks havoc on them.


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## Kippington (Feb 24, 2019)

2bApical? said:


>



Maybe its a camera angle illusion, but the sharpening angle this guy puts on his knives is crazy thick... I thought he was bread-knifing the chips out at the beginning, but he keeps it up all the way through!


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## inferno (Feb 24, 2019)

2bApical? said:


> Yo inferno, that Science of Sharp diamond stone progression showing a rougher surface above 600 has me brain tweaked a bit. There is someone else on youtube seemingly showing a much better edge from a higher grit dmt than SOS from the side. How can a company with the status of dmt be putting out stones above 600 that tear up a knife so bad? Mr. burrfection compared an Atoma 1200 to a Bester 1200 and got excellent results cutting paper with the Atoma, he said equal results but it seemed to me that the Atoma 1200 was a bit smoother. SOS did say that his conclusion wasn't universal to all diamond stones. In this video there is a side view of a 1000 grit whetstone vs a 1200 grit DMT starting a 3:00. The side view of the diamond 1200 looks pretty good.





The SEM photos are like 5-10kX mag so I rather trust those more than peoples usb microscopes. How dmt can be outputting these? I have no idea. I dont even think they know about it.

I can get excellent results cutting paper off my shapton pro 220 if I want. Depending on how I use it. Its not a measure of quality in my mind.


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## inferno (Feb 24, 2019)

Kippington said:


> Maybe its a camera angle illusion, but the sharpening angle this guy puts on his knives is crazy thick... I thought he was bread-knifing the chips out at the beginning, but he keeps it up all the way through!



If you raise the angle every time you sharpen it goes a lot faster to sharpen!


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## PalmRoyale (Feb 24, 2019)

I think it's probably the shape and size of the diamonds. Maybe it's like the difference between a coticule and Belgian blue. The garnets in a coticule are smaller and have sharper corners so they penetrate the steel deeper and cut more aggressive. The garnets in a Belgian blue are larger with more obtuse angles so they're gentler on the steel.


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## inferno (Feb 24, 2019)

Yes it seems related to size/shape of the diamonds and how dense they are packed on the plate. I also think the elasticity of the material being cut matters.


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## Nemo (Feb 24, 2019)

inferno said:


> If you raise the angle every time you sharpen it goes a lot faster to sharpen!


And the edge becomes very robust! [emoji16]


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## 2bApical? (Feb 24, 2019)

inferno said:


> The SEM photos are like 5-10kX mag so I rather trust those more than peoples usb microscopes. How dmt can be outputting these? I have no idea. I dont even think they know about it.
> 
> I can get excellent results cutting paper off my shapton pro 220 if I want. Depending on how I use it. Its not a measure of quality in my mind.


They should know about it now since I sent them an email and asked them to address the issue. They did not respond. There are people on youtube that like the quality of the Atoma 1200 over the dmt.


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## rick alen (Feb 24, 2019)

Funny, when you google dmt 8000 grit you get people telling you the stone starts out as a 3K, then after much wear-in acts like a 6K, but no finer. nothing about crappy edges though.


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