Thread: Opinion on Aldi diamond hone please

Hey all, just bought this hone at Aldi for $10 so won't be dirty if the outcome is negative. It has 2, 3, 4 & 600 grit sides, do you think it will do the job flattening my Nortons or would you not let it within 100m of a razor hone?

I use a 325 DMT so you should be okay. What's the worse that can happen you have to buy a new set of hones. :<0) jk. The holes might keep it from sucking down on you. The only thing I am wondering about is the size. I like my lapper as big as the hone just to make sure it stays as flat as can be as easy as possible. 10 bucks seems too cheap to be true but you may have found the deal of the century.

Thanks 10pups appreciate the post, I have the 1/4 hones from whipped dog so size is not an issue. Was just wondering about the quality of the abrasive and if it will render the Nortons useless? Mmmm new hones you say....

Having bought things at Aldi in the past, my primary concern would be just how flat and solid that thing is. Perhaps things have changed in the 8 or so years since I set foot in one of their shops in Europe, but I do recall some of their products were not noted for quality and consistency.

So I'd check it for flatness first, and second make sure the middle doesn't press in under pressure. Either of those would be very bad in terms of lapping! But otherwise, I'd say give it a shot. If it does mess up the surface, you can always go to a more traditional lapping method to fix it. Just don't go removing a whole bunch of the Norton's surface before checking that it is working well.

And I can't pass a mention of either Aldi or Lidl without this coming into my head:

Thanks Cangooner, some good points in both the post and the video. I will start softly after testing flex and do the old pencil lattice marking.

It did the trick, back tomorrow to get a backup. Thanks gents.

The first few times you use it, a lot of particles from the diamond plate get loose, and they will damage your edge. If the first time you use them, it's for flattening, be sure your stone is free of them after.
After that, they work. And last quite a bit, I've been using one every now and then for removing the swarf from some of my stones, the last couple of years, they are not bad.

Thanks for the heads up Vasilis, I gently lapped the 8k under water and rinsed it off like you said. It was a lot less work than the Norton lapping stone and that was using the 600 side. I did a test shave and the edge feels good after a few passes, the 600 grit has given the stone a smoother feel and the razor was sticking a lot more than usual

Harbor Freight has or had one that looks similar that I have tried and it works, especially for hogging off material. Some of the Diamond is a bit inconsistent but if you run a knife over them with pressure it will even them out. I use old carbon meat cleavers that I have been collecting lately, to surface the faces. I also run a file and coarse Silicone Carbide stone on the edges to bevel or just knock off any jagged diamond. The edges can be a bit sharp and will mark a stone.

The problem with the HF one is they are not too large 6X2 and they do flex, but they will work.

Chef Knives to Go has a no name 140 grit 8X3 diamond plate for 30 buck that is a great stone lapping plate. It is a nice thick plate, very consistent diamond coating and my plate is flat. It will lap a stone in minutes.

I also get very nice no name 6X2 diamond plates from a tool vendor locally at Antique Flea Markets that look very similar to DMT and Eze Lap plates for 10 buck. Great for slurry plates and edge correction.

These no name plates are getting better and better, flatness may be an issue with some but once flat, stones will remain pretty flat with a light refinishing. I do have my DMT that are old and worn if true flatness is an issue and I use for final flatness lapping.

You can always do a final lap on Wet & Dry 325 and a marble tile to get flat, flat.

I've used plastic based plates in the past & the concerns re flatness & abrasive loosening was equal to some DMT's I bought also so you takes your chances when you pays your money. I imagine the size is not the best but you can compensate for that by laying the plate diagonally to lap alternating sides.