Thread: Spyderco 303MF

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the Sypderco 303MF. It's the medium on one side, fine on the other, and it's small (1x5 as a guess based on the other pocket sized offerings).

I know some don't mind a small finishing stone, but is it practical for a coarser stone? If so, it seems like a great offering for $22 + shipping.

Please let me know what you think.

I have one that I use for my pocket knife. The stone is really small and REALLY thin (only about 1/4 inch thick) so I would not call it really practical for fast metal removal. If you want something in a similar price range then I would get the DMT-E (the 6 inch is only about $20) because it will work significantly better for what it seems like you want to use it for.

Is the thinkness really a concern? I was under the impression that these stones were good for a long time once they were lapped? Also, what about the DMT makes you think it would be better? I'm new to hones, so please parden my ignorance.

Sydercos should not need lapping if yours is not flat I would send it back.

I use one of these as a travel hone .They do give very good results.Paul

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Is the thinkness really a concern? I was under the impression that these stones were good for a long time once they were lapped? Also, what about the DMT makes you think it would be better? I'm new to hones, so please parden my ignorance.

They will not really wear out fast so that is not the issue. The stone is too small to use in a stone holder so you will most likely have to use it in your hand. Since the spine of the razor needs to be down going both ways you only have a little less than 4 inches of honing length and you really have to be careful not to cut your hand because of the thinness of the stone.

So if I'm correct, the main concerns are not cutting myself and being able to get the whole blade over the hone in an X pattern?

That doesn't sound too bad. I've been using a shorter and thinner but slightly wider stone, and I'm pretty comfortable with the size. I think I'll pull the trigger and see how I like it. It's about $30 shipped, and if I don't like it for razors, maybe I'll find it to be good for knives.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

So if I'm correct, the main concerns are not cutting myself and being able to get the whole blade over the hone in an X pattern?

That doesn't sound too bad. I've been using a shorter and thinner but slightly wider stone, and I'm pretty comfortable with the size. I think I'll pull the trigger and see how I like it. It's about $30 shipped, and if I don't like it for razors, maybe I'll find it to be good for knives.

Those are two valid concerns, but another significant one is that you want a stone to quickly remove metal but this one will only give you about a 1X4 inch working surface area. It is going to take a ton of passes to remove a lot of metal whth such a small stone. I would much rather spend my $30 (plus a little more for shipping) and get a 8X3 DMT-E or a $20 6X2 DMT-E diasharp from craftsmanstudio.com. The diamond abrasive surface will cut faster than the spyderco, and the extra length will allow you to do more work per pass. If you want to carry it with you to touch up your pocket knife as I do then it will work great, but I just don't think that it is the best choice for what you described. Just my .02

Ah, I had not been thinking about the number of passes. That's my newness showing. I'll be sure to take a look at craftsmanstudio before I make a decision.

Thanks again for the input.

I'll second David's advice, he knows what he's talking about.

And from my own experience, the DMT's just cant be beat in the long run.