Thread: DMT DUO 600/1200 ?

I lap with a DMT6C. On softish stones (Norton's, Naniwas, BBW, Coti are some that I've done) that leaves a smooth surface. On harder stones (C12k, Dragons Tongue, Swatys are some that I've done), there are light scratches that are visible when the hone dries but not while it is wet. I remove these by rubbing with another hard, nonporous hone (Swaty, Spyderco Medium, C12k, matching slurry stone, etc).

Originally Posted by MrWalker35

Hello
Im all new to honing but would like to learn more. My ? is the DMT DUO sA 600/1200tones are not solid they seem to be "integrated" in plastic and got "holes"in them. Are the 1200side gonna work as a starter stone or do i need a solid one??

would seem to be most for the money as i can use it to sharpen kitchen knifes, if its also usable on a razor.

Then probably a norton 4k/8k seems most people recommend them as a beginner and when your on a budget.

I seen the seller open_razor on ebay, which many seems to have buyed from have a 3 stone kit with 5k 8k and c12k, any opinions on that. Worth the money or is it too good to be true

A lot depends on the condition of your razors.

Since we all want to shave we all need something in
the 8K-12K region to finish and maintain a sharp edge.
Without a fine 8K (and optionally a 12K) it is unlikely the razor
will be sharp enough to shave on.

A 600/1200 might be needed if and only if you have a
razor that has problems (Ebay Surprise). After working
through the problem you will still need to finish sharpening the
blade.

Folks new to honing should start with a professional honemaster.
For about $20-30 the honemaster will work through a $1000.00 set of stones
and return a sharp shave ready blade. To maintain that
edge most will need a good strop, then a finishing hone that
can be a balsa hone, a C12K, a more expensive finisher or a barber hone.
After 6 months an 8K may be needed and the most common
bargain is a Norton 4K/8K combo which is all that is needed
for maintaining a razor.

After a decent strop I am a fan of balsa hones for beginners.
They are comparatively inexpensive. A set of two or three
with some CrOx, 1micron, and three micron diamond can maintain
a razor for a very long time. With a set of balsa hones there
is no urgent need for a C12K or N4/8K rocks.... Perhaps a want
but not a need.

600/1200 will work fine for setting razor bevels, medium razor repairs, and knives. The red DMT 600 in my current avatar has seen almost daily use for over 22 years and still works well.

DMT says that the polka-dot models are more aggressive than the continuous surface. I can't tell much practical difference.

I use DMT 1200, then DMT 8000, followed by a barber hone. Works for me. For touch up and minor razor repairs, I could easily get by with a DMT 8000 and barber hone.

Can't help you with open_razor's hones; never used 'em.

Where ca i find the best prices for honingstone within EU. as many times the shipping and duty/toll? make things from US to expensive.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Khaos did a writeup of his interrupted DMT as a lapping stone and found that it worked great. Some guys did say that if you lap straight back and forth you get faint differences in color that cannot be felt, but lapping in circles avoids this problem.

Based on those results, I think the interrupted DMT's should be as suitable as a normal DMT for honing provided that you do circles and/or an X stroke. That said, I don't like honing on DMT's because they are, in my opinion, overly aggressive, leave deep scratches, and are likely to cause chipping or microchipping.

I use my DMT (with holes) to lap my coticules-- works great.
-Chief