DMT W6EFC Deluxe Diamond Knife Sharpening Kit with Hard Wood Box, Set of 3 Diamond Sharpening Stones, 6-Inch

Excellent!I have been using Japanese water stones for years on my plethora of chisels and plane irons. My set goes from 320 to 8000 grit and they allow me to achieve an absolute mirror finish. So why am I reviewing diamond stones? Well, all water stones dish (cup) in with use and are soft enough to gouge easily. They also groove easily i.e if you re-bevel a 1/4" chisel and move on to a wider one next over the same tract, you can observe the lack of cutting on the chisels bevel. Obviously there are workarounds - start with widest first, do run along same path). While this is especially true of the lower grits, even the 8000 which is relatively hard will require resurfacing, which can be a time consuming task. So I decided to give diamonds a try. I have used small diamond cards for touching up router bits but this was my first time on my chisels and irons.I got this set for several reasons: DMT's reputation for quality, a good spread of 3 different grits, and a great price for a 3 stone set. I was worried about the 6x2 inch size as I always use a Veritas jig (never developed the skill of hand holding) resulting in a shorter stroke, and my irons are 2" wide (easy to miss the edge on a 2" stone).Results:* They cut is very fast. I chose not to use the word `aggressive' as it may imply a coarser than expected cut, I compared the surface scratch pattern left from these to ones left by comparable water stones and they matched up well. The difference was how fast I got there, it required approximately 1/3rd as many strokes on the diamond stones to achieve the same result!* They are ready for use instantly, you should allow 30 minutes of soak time prior to using Japanese water stones.* Virtually no mess (comparatively speaking). Water stones generate a lot of slurry quickly and must be washed down constantly. These diamond stones only need a light misting and the "polka-dot" design does a good job of capturing the particles making clean up fast, easy, and infrequent, all it requires is a wipe down with a damp rag. I think I would prefer a continuous surface on anything smaller than ¼" (DMT has other products that provide this).* The finest grit in this set is only 1200 and the coarsest is 325. I can see and feel the difference in performance when I polish the final bevel with my 8000 water stone but for most work and most users the 1200 finish is fine. Note that DMT does make 2200 and 8000 grit stones but I have not tried them (yet). If you need to do a major repair of change the bevel angle, it will take you awhile with the 325 stone. DMT should think about offering a 4 or 5 stone set, but these 3 grits are sufficient for a wide variety of sharping.* Very light weight. The diamond plate is laminated to a hollow thin plastic box. This is a bit of a disappointment as it gives it a cheap feel (may be one reason for the set being so economically priced). Heavy downward pressure can/will deform, running surface flatness. However, as they cut so well you only need a slight down force. The big disadvantage is that you really cannot use them out of the wood box as they move around easily. The box does do a good job holding them in place.* The Box. It is a nice holding fixture and has rubber feet on the bottom. For many things (like chisels) it is convenient to have all three stones held alongside each other so you can quickly go from one to the next. However it is a pain for things like long knives. The lid just sort of sits there, allowing it to fall off easily. Some sort of latch or magnets to hold it on would be an improvement.* DMT uses a color code to identify grit. While I don't mind this it really would be nice if they printed the grit number on the stone or the holder.Unknowns: How long will they last? Japanese water stones can last several life times, resurface (flatten) it and you have a new stone, I am still using the ones I got 15 years ago and only the very coarsest ones are showing their age (thinning from flattening). How long these DMT's will maintain their cutting ability remains to be seen but from everything I have read, they should last a very long time. However the small diamond hones (brand x not from DMT) I use on router bits have not lasted, so I remain a skeptic. I will update this review down the road and let you know.I highly recommend these as a starter set for anyone looking to try diamond sharpening stones and I will likely be buying additional DMT products. I do not think you can find a better value for the price of this set.

I usually use water stones, but decided to try this threesome just for the heck of it. I must say, I was impressed. I put a bit of water on the stone, and they seemed to work well even on the first knife (pre-"broken in") After the extra fine stone, the edges seemed so smooth that I didn't even need the sharpening steel to finish it off. The edges seem to be smooth, the knives much sharper than before with little or no mess. For an edge that's REALLY out of shape, the coarse stone is perhaps not coarse enough (or one should use an even coarser product), but I just exercised my arms with a bit more passes and the edge repaired. The wooden box was a bit of a disappointment. First, it would have been nicer with a hinge. Second, the wooden "beds" for the stones were a bit tight, and I gouged them out a bit to let the stones be removed and replaced without struggling. Also, I put a label on the side of each stone to remind me of which grade grit it was--it would have been nice to have that printed on each stone when they arrived. However, the stones work well, the base is thick enough that I can hold them in my hand and retain all ten fingers, and, I must say, they work surprisingly well. (And it seems a pretty good price for a threesome plus a wooden case!!)ADDENDUM: Some months later, I happened to be asked to sharpen a friend's knife block's worth of kitchen knives. I brought this set along and my beloved water stones. I sharpened half of the knives with each. To my surprise, the knives sharped with this DMT set were sharpened as well or better than the ones sharpened with the water stones. Of course, these DMT don't need to be re-flattened or presoaked.I hate to admit it, but this DMT set sharpened as well or better than other methods requiring a lot more trouble and a lot more skill...

I've used these stones several times now and they do a very good job of sharpening. I recommend getting the DMT DuoSharp DuoBase to use with these stones as, while DMT claims you can use the box as a base, it's not the easiest way to sharpen and is kinda awkward if you try to do it using the box. The base makes it much easier. The only real complaint I guess I have is that (like another reviewer pointed out), maybe I'm just missing something but I can't find on the stones where their grit; is ID'ed. Apparently, DMT leaves it up to you to figure out which stone is coarser and which is finer. That's doable but it would be a lot nicer if DMT went ahead and provided ID on the stones themselves. In fact, I'd tell you now what color is what grit; but I don't have the stones readily available . . . and I've already forgotten. :-( (LOL) So, I guess I'll hafta figure it out again the next time I need to sharpen something. Oh well. I'm still happy with the purchase and feel that DMT has made a good quality product here.UPDATE: Well, DMT DOES tell you the grit of these stones. Today I just flipped over the paper that came on the cover of the box and on the back of that is listed all of the stones' colors AND their respective grits. DUH!! ;-) So, my only complaint has been negated. These are good sharpening stones and remember that the paper cover DOES HAVE the grits listed on its reverse side. Happy sharpening! :-)

These are the best DMT diamond sharpening stones!Coming in extra coarse, medium course and fine.Will easily sharpen anything that requires a good sharp edge.