I have used dmts and atomas. Since heavy lapping on hard stones like jnats kills these plates, I recently use wet/dry to do my heavy lapping and use the atomas to touchup. I use a granite lapping plate under the wet dry. Works fast and the wet dry I use up is much less expensive than a $100 plate. And you cant just use the atoma 400 as the surface is too rough. I also use the bbw the smooth the stones after 1200 grit. For synthetics, an atoma or dmt is great though. And the 1200 atoma for maintenance lapping works well.