Thread: DMT DUO 600/1200 ?

Hello
Im all new to honing but would like to learn more. My ? is the DMT DUO stones 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??

A 600/1200 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

While I have no answer as to if they are good for razors b/c I am new too.

I would just comment that the reason the DMT's are like that is b/c they are diamond, they make some kind of diamond/resin mixture and apply it to the plastic base.

I too am curious about a good starter hone really all I want is something to freshen up my blades not anything too involved like resetting a bevel.

I have a DMT 600 and a DMT 1200, and I use them for bevel setting. Mine also have the "holes.." I think they are just a place for the metal shavings to go. they work very well, and very fast, and they leave oddly sharp edges which typically get knocked down a bit by the following grit (4k). I think that must be because they are fairly course stones, but, the diamond coating produces scratches on the bevel and edge and almost emulate a serrated knife. So, it seems to grab hairs more often, but, I don't think a shave off a dmt 1200 would be a very comfortable one

Maybe someone with more experience comparing the DMTs to other low grit stones can chime in. I've only used a King 1k besides these DMTs for bevel setting.

in my opinion the full metal DMT is much sturdyer
dont know if there has been any issues with the double sided tho

the c12k is good but i havnt seen any rewiev on the others yet

I have the 325/600 duosharp. I find it handy. 325 side is good for lapping.

I use the 600 side when i have razors that need a lot of work and not just a simple bevel reset.

I still use my naniwa 1k after the 600 though.

IMO, you would be best off getting the DMT coarse (325 grit) simply due to cost.

If you are looking to save some coin, go with the Norton setup with a C12K to finish on. However, IMHO if you have the coin, I would pick up a set of naniwas. 1k, 5k, 8k, & 12K.

Another consideration is what you intend to do with your honing. Are you going to hone all of your razors from start to finish? Or are you only needing to touch up the edges of your already sharpened blades? If you only want to touch up the edges and keep them sharp, all you will need is 8K and 12K (at least) 4K, 8K & 12K (at most). Or, you could go with a belgian coticule.... So many options...

Basic though was to ha some hones at home for all kind of sharpening.
So the Idea is an 600/1200 DMT which can serve in the kitchen but also used to set a bevel and when you need to remove much metal.

Also as seen and heard many people rush to the first stage in razorhoning which seems the most important, kinda like skipping breakfast and here you'll have a stone that is completly flat.

Then youll need something a little more fine, and it seems like a norton combo would be 4/8 is most bang for buck ?? (, maybe a single 6k something will do)

And a c12k as finisher and also maybe used as a touchup??
(Maybe the stones from ebay is good enough if you master the art of honing?? 3-Piece Sharpening Set - eBay (item 360212223729 end time Jan-26-10 04:43:25 PST))


My goal is to have stones to sharpen my kitchen knifes, but also be able to "learn" to hone a razor that is really dull.
So a basic beginners kit, looked at amazons starterkit from norton, price is very good but they dont ship that to sweden.

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.

Hmm... What then do you lap with, Dylan? I have often wondered about the effects of lapping with aggressive plates such as DMT's, however had never read anything alluding to undesirable effects...

My opinion does not reflect great experience, but I will offer it anyway.

I bought a DMT W6E, single sided (1200 grit) hone with the holes in it, and a DMT D8EE (8000 grit).

I use the 1200 grit hone for setting the bevel, and progress to the 8000. I follow the 8000 with a barber hone, and then a pasted strop. The results are smooth, and comfortable. In fact I have a Dovo that was never sharp since I bought it, and now it shaves great.

I can't speak to regular water stones, but the DMT's are very easy to care for, and don't require any lapping.

I'm sure that there is an advantage to using other stones, but when I did the math the DMT's came up less expensive, and I'm happy with the results.