Is there a mini 400/800 stone?

Okay, so this is my first post. I have a set of the credit-card sized DMT stones, but they only go up to 1200 grit. I also have a 12000 grit Chinese water stone. First of all, can I go right from the 1200 stone to the 12000 stone without using a 400/800 stone in between? Secondly, are there any small portable 400/800 stones? I'd like something I can travel with for an extended period of time, and the 12000 stone is already the size of a tank.

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Originally Posted by saltydeath

Okay, so this is my first post. I have a set of the credit-card sized DMT stones, but they only go up to 1200 grit. I also have a 12000 grit Chinese water stone. First of all, can I go right from the 1200 stone to the 12000 stone without using a 400/800 stone in between? Secondly, are there any small portable 400/800 stones? I'd like something I can travel with for an extended period of time, and the 12000 stone is already the size of a tank.

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First, I'm going to assume that you mean 4000/8000, as there would be no point in dropping from 1200 to 400. Are you dead set on DMT plates? If so, then your only option past the 1200 grit plate is the 8000 grit DMT plate. I've used low grit DMTs (120 and 325) for the first stages of bevel setting so I cannot comment on their efficacy. Personally, I think you'd be better off with a Norton 4k/8k.

Also, if you are traveling, it makes no sense to transport multiple hones, especially the Chinese hone (which, by the way is not 12,000 grit). Once you have a razor sharp, it makes more sense to keep it sharp while traveling with just a single barber hone which would be much smaller.