Thread: Using other diamond hones for lapping?

I hear a lot about the ATOMA and DMT hones being used for lapping, but I'm curious as to whether there are other diamond hones that would do the job. Some of them are fairly inexpensive so I don't mind giving it a shot myself (they can be used to make slurry if nothing else, or repair knife edges) but I'm wondering if anyone else has tried first.

My only experience with cheap diamond hones is with a small set I got for honing chips out of chisels etc, and they really weren't very good. I think the diamond density on the surface was low and they weren't embedded firmly, and though the hones were effective at first they quickly lost their cutting ability - the hones are adequate for slurry now, but that's about all.

I think the bottom line is that the quality of industrial diamonds needed to make a good hone is unavoidably expensive, and you can't make a good hone cheaply unless you skimp on something. Oh, and for lapping, I wouldn't trust the flatness of a cheap one.

I usually use I-Wood diamond plate (cost about 30€) for lapping and it works like a charm.

It's not going to hurt to give another "brand" a try. EZ lap is one that I have used that works just fine for building a slurry.

Thanks for the advice guys

I use a DMT 325 grit at 3" by 8" and it works fine for all my water stones. No worries!!
It also works to re establish a bevel on a very loused up e-bay razor that needs to start from scratch.

Just my .02euros

I use a DMT...

It's widely understood that DMT and ATOMA diamond hones are good for lapping, and are often used to do so. This thread is about discussing alternatives to those stones.