Thread: A History And Justification For My Diamond Plates

Another praise for the DiaFlat. I've had mine close to a year and a half and have lapped every stone I can think of, except for a carbo. I even lapped out deep chips from a 00 with no ill effect.
The only sign of wear on mine is on one edge where the diamonds have let go, but this has no effect on its function and admittedly I've used way more pressure than I should have several times. If mine died today, I'd buy another one before the sun set.

I have both the atoma 400 and 1200 and the dmt d8c. I would buy the atoma over the d8c. The atoma you can buy just the foil fot the back of the plate to make a double sided hone and it is so light. The d8c really does need a stone holder being so heavy but the atoma has so issues like this with no stiction and as Ron said great for getting chips etc out. Would love the Dia flat but can't justify the price for the couple hones I would use it on and now there flat it will be some time before it would see use.

In the last few years, there have been a lot of good Diamond Plates on the market. I have several, Atoma, DMT, Ezlap, I Wood and lots of no name… they all work.

A couple years ago, I met a guy who was using a worn Harbor Freight diamond plate cube to bevel set and finishing with a barber hone. He had been honing razors for many years and the edge he put on the two Sheffield razors I bought from him were very nice.

Now, I don’t recommend the HF plates for honing, but there are inexpensive diamond plates available, that work very well.
I recently bought a 2.75 x 8 in IWood, 300 diamond plate that has a diamond pattern grit and works very well, I have been abusing it since the first of the year with no stiction…

Chef Knives to Go has a heavy, 2.75 x 8 in, 140 grit, $30 plate, that I have also grossly abused for, over a year now and lapped countless stones with, it is still going strong.

Recently I bought a $35, 400/1000 dual grit Diamond Plate from CNTG, this weekend it lapped several new stones very well and quickly. It has the same diamond patterns the IWood plate and looks just like it. The 1k side is great for high grit stones.
There is also a guy on EBay (Diamondtools30) selling 8X3 in diamond plates that work very well for as little as $12-15.

So for Diamond Plates there are a lot of options and they all work well. I do agree, we/I do abuse most plates (and it’s not just stones that will ruin plates, some steels will grab and rip out diamonds, as well).

If you use common sense most plates will last a long time. Loose Silicone Carbide makes quick work of the hardest stones, and is very inexpensive. I collect and lap a lot of stones, most naturals, repair and shape steel and admittedly I do abuse and have ruined some.

But for the average guy who is maintaining, 4-5 stones a $35 dollar plate is a lifetime purchase that will give stellar performance.

This detailed history will be useful at your intervention.

What? Another one?
I'm going to have to do some prioritizing on that amends list.

I have been on the fence about purchasing the Shapton lapping plate. I have also been looking at the Trend plate. I do not hone a lot, but I want a good solution for lapping/cleaning off hones. I have the Shapton glass system so I am leaning towards the Shapton lapping plate, but the price is still a major deterrent. I have a the ubiquitous DMT hone (doesn't everyone have one?) but seems like there are better options out there.

If you do not hone a lot, I would not recommend the DGLP. It is an awesome plate but the Trend plate will work too. You also might want to check out the even cheaper options that Euclid described.

Being a new guy, this thread is Very Helpful to most all those who come here to learn the art and articles like this save people Money which is in short supply for many given the world economy, so Thanks Utopian and all who contributed. Wish I had seen this Before I spent a ton on More diamond tools.

@Euclid. I don't dispute anything you are posting - however, try searching for those products usinga UK or European reference. I doubt very much that you will find them - that's why Atoma and DMT seem to be the only alternatives this side of the water.

I've had a similar, if more conservative journey than Ron regarding hone and lapping plate acquisition. My main workhorse was, and is, the DMT D8C. At Ron, and ChrisL's recommendation I bought the DMTXX 120 and it does eat through rock at a fantastic rate, but it leaves a surface that requires too much work afterwards, so I only use it in extreme cases.

My DGLP is much slower than it was 7 years ago. To the point where I lean toward the old D8C for initial lapping. When I get down to less than half of the pencil grid to go I'm usually losing patience and I reach for the Atoma 1200. It works so well I would use it for the entire job, but I want to conserve the surface and make it last as long as possible before it begins to slow down.

Thanks to Ron for a great reference thread.