Concerns about stones vs diamond plates

OK, people of SRP Please Help Me Understand .
:argue:

In all the videos I have seen and all the posts people are using natural or synthetic stone to hone blades from 1k to 12k. I got with my new kit a DMT Dia-Sharp Bench Stone, 8"x3" Extra Extra Fine D8EE (8k grit) Here is the link to the site.

8" Dia-Sharp® Continuous Diamond Extra-Extra Fine - D8EE - The Consumer Link.

was not a cheap product, but will it be same or better than real/synth stone?
reason is these stones do not need to be lapped.

James.

Also, what grits should i have at my disposal for honing, all i wana do at this point is to maintain the beval, not start from scratch unless i absolutly have to. I got a brand new pre sharpend blade by dovo. this is only for weeks down the line when i may need to hone a touch.

at first you will need to break in before putting any razor on it. Second it will not be better or worse just will cut faster. Time will come it is cutting power will go down . Lastly you will need something after 8dee to make edge a little smoother to shave with.
hope this helps GL

maintain blade you need to have barber hone not dmt 8ee

how do i break in the stone? also, in videos with Mr. Abrams he started with a 1K and ended on a 12K stone, so should i maybe get a 4k and a 10 or 12k for finishing?

James, IME the plate you have is good for honing really tough steels like S30V or ATS 34. Maybe TI Damascus. You'll still need a bevel setter and perhaps an intermediate hone. The few times I've used my DMT8k I've never stropped and shaved directly off of that but always went to a higher grit synthetic to finish.

I think it is generally accepted that the shape of the diamond abrasive on the DMT leaves a harsher edge than other synthetic or natural abrasives. OTOH, I have a friend who does work with the DMT 1200 and the 8k and is happy with the edges he gets. All you can do is experiment with it and see if you are satisfied with your results.

Those DMT's are great. They cut very fast indeed. They do, however, sometimes cause micro chipping, & some razors are more prone to this happening than others.
Break it in by honing up an old chisel.
Never, ever use it to lap another hone, & protect the surface when not in use.
I used my 1200 to lap another hone, & killed it, then i managed to ding the surface of my 8000. Hopefully yours will be better cared for!

OK thank you for the tips. i have just the old dull 6" bowie to do just that.

I have Shaptons and a DTM 8k. Once the 8k was properly broken in there was no problem with getting good edges off it. I use it mostly to put the final touch in lapping higher grit stones, but sometimes you just want the diamond power without going all the way back to a 4k.

Here is an idea. Why not get a TM 4 sided strop with 1 micron, .5 micron, and .25 micron pastes to finish it off? The DTM is an 8k, but its 3 micron where a japanese stone like the shapton is the 1.84 micron. Just to keep the scales in mind.

I was thinking like JohnyO here. A nice 4-sided paddle strop with a couple diamond (say 1 and .5) and then some chrox and/or cerium oxide to smooth it out after your 8k.