After last year's discussion about how a DMT 1200 shouldn't be used to lap hones, I've been using a DMT8C. No matter how much I break it in, it still leaves some pretty deep scratches (localized to about 1/4 the total surface, which makes me think I have some "tall" diamonds on the DMT) in whatever I'm lapping.

So I'm wondering... what, if any, effect those scratches would have on the razor edge? I keep going back and forth: yeah, it's gonna degrade the edge, and no, it's not.

The scratches are visible, and you can really feel the difference between the scratched ares of the stones and the unscratched. It makes the hone feel much coarser than it is, as you can imagine.

But as long as the grit of the stone is constant, it shouldn't really matter if there is a VVVVVVV type of texture to the surface, right? As long as the blade is drawn across it in an X pattern, insuring even coverage along the edge, the effect should be the same as a completely smooth surface?

What do you guys think?

I'm tempted to go back to using the DMT8E until it's worn out, just cause it left such a great surface on whatever it lapped.

I've tried using the 1k shapton to get the scratches out, but they're too deep.