The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel
I recently bought a diamond plate to flatten sharpening stones. This was bought from Aliexpress in China. The plate worked fine so I sent for three tubs of diamond paste to assist in sharpening razors,
Very happy with it so far,1 micron,1.5 microns and .5 micron. I have no way of checking the sizes or the quality except that the stuff does what I want. Coarser sizes are available and would be better for sharpening knives I think.
Next order was for four diamond "stones" for the edge pro. Of course, there is genuine diamond made for the edge pro and in the past, I have bought those. They cost over £40 each here if I remember correctly, the ones I bought from China were £12 for the four !! I am sure that there is a gap in quality but they work fine. I sharpened a friends kitchen knife yesterday, not a great steel 420 I guess, shaving sharp after a few minutes work though and what more can you ask for.
The stone on the left is an authentic edge pro one and the stone on the right is very coarse, shifts that steel though.
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!!! .. Nice deal, John .. !!!
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3 £ ea as opposed to 40+ £ ea is a considerable difference. As you state .. there may exist a difference in quality ..BUT.. I doubt it's as great as the difference in price. As long as they perform as required .. can hardly ask for more.
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It (AliEx) is where I get all my diamond whetstones now. The cost difference is simply too great to ignore. And all the ones I've sourced through AliEx work just fine. My experience is similar to yours .. they perform the desired task .. at a fraction of the (local) cost.
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The stones you have pictured would also fit my sharpening fixture & I've looked @ them more than once. I currently have standard stones ranging from 120 grit ~ 3K grit. SO0o .. I'm fine for the moment. However .. the softer stones quickly began developing a valley when I was setting the edge on a project involving a blade blank that had the rough grind in place ..but.. no final edge. I anticipate having to replace those .. sooner than later.
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Note: The particular project involved a VG10 core laminated with softer 420 stainless. When I got to the VG10 core .. I could see the 320 grit stone disappearing before my eyes.
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I'll bet the coarse one you have pictured (extreme right) does remove some metal rather quickly. What grit is it rated at ?? It's the 320 grit of my set-up that is showing the quickest & most severe wear. I haven't used the 120 grit. The harder stones .. 1.5K, 2K, & 3K .. seem to be holding up fine & I doubt I'll need to replace them anytime soon. BUT .. the coarser grits will require replacement ..again.. sooner than later.
The really coarse fellow is a 120 Dale , I have the 120,400,1000,2000 I don't know if that 120 is really needed but at that price why not . I doubt I will use it much if at all but if something is stubborn then I can threaten it with that beast .
The original edge pro stones dish and gum up specially with the coarser stones . I bought the flattening kit they sell which is a glass plate and a bag of very coarse grit , it works fine but then so does wet and dry paper . The original stones seem okay and work on hard steel but take an age on D2 you can loose the will to live reprofiling that stuff I know I have been there .
Chef Knives to go sell a whole bunch of fancy stones for the edge pro but none of them retail at £3 !
I am going to search out some more diamond stuff soon from Ali , just got a new kitchen to pay for first though .
I just visited the Chef Knives to go site .. gave me an idea. Perhaps .. when the 320 grit does require replacement .. I'll use the base plate for a "lapping" accessory. i.e. I've some really thick leather I could glue to the mounting plate once all the 320 grit stone was removed. That & some of the "lapping paste" you use for your razors should place a mighty fine edge on a blade. I obviously wouldn't need the paste quite as fine as what you use ..but.. even with a coarser paste .. it might work quite nicely for really finishing an edge out. Just not sure how convenient it would be, i.e. might be more hassle than it's worth ..as.. I could mount the same leather onto a 12" length of 2"X 2" board & get the same result.
I've also seen where I can get some 8K & 12k grit "jade" stones that are the correct size ..but.. w/o the backing plate. I've also thought of going that route.
Regardless .. I'll not be discarding the backing plate of any stone I do wear out .. for those very reasons.
Rockstead knives are another make that I can't afford to buy Dale, very fine looking knives too. They are known for having very hard steel and convex edges.
https://www.heinnie.com/knives-and-tools/f/brand/rockstead
The sharpening method they recommend may be of interest to you as I think that it could be easier than using a strop on your sharpener.
Thanks, John.
The method they present is simply too easy & inexpensive to implement to ignore. i.e. I have everything required to assemble one & try ..SO0o.. the only outlay would be my time.
Other members out there .. you should check this out. It is REALLY too simple & inexpensive to ignore. Especially .. given the extra finish it will provide to the keen edge we all attempt to maintain on our knives. Just follow the link John listed (below) for the full article. It is short, straightforward, devoid of adds, & well worth the read.
Thanks again , John. I'll post some pics when I get one assembled ..&.. report how it works.
John Bamford said:
The sharpening method they recommend may be of interest to you as I think that it could be easier than using a strop on your sharpener.
WOWZA .. you're not the only one who can not afford their prices.
£ 2099.95 = $2701.59 ......... way out of my league for a folder.
Specs are nice enough .. "Blade Hardness (HRC): 66.8". Regardless .. way out of my league.
I could buy a new garden tractor + some nice accessories for $2700.oo .. just sayen'
John Bamford said:
Rockstead knives are another make that I can't afford to buy Dale, very fine looking knives too. They are known for having very hard steel and convex edges.
I do like those Rockstead knives, I saw somewhere or other a pic of the edge under a microscope, you could indeed shave with one of those. But what if you lost it that's a lot of money, Sue thinks £150 is a lot for a knife !!
I have just sharpened two more knives 1 cooks knife and an Opinel that I have had for a very long time. Neither of them has any kind of super steel but the 120 Diamond put an edge on them very quickly and then the other stones refined that edge equally quickly. Very impressed with these stones given the very economic price.
John and D ale,
I have what may seem to be a silly question. I do not use any sharpening system (mostly I use Donnie) I do freehand when I need to do it myself. Donnie insisted long ago that I learn the basics. Let's take someone like myself and could you share with me a way for that someone to set up an inexpensive system using the stones that are reasonable vs the hundreds of dollars we see for the average systems
The fixed angle fixture I have cost $18.27 & is all metal construction.
(I did a short review in the sharpening group)
I've been VERY pleased with it.
And .. it came with the basic required stones .. 120, 320, 600, & 1500 grit.
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I know .. people don't like to buy from China
..BUT..
under $20 (delivered to my door) ..&.. all heavy gauge metal construction.
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I'll do some "shopping" later & post some current sources & pricing from AliEx.
i.e. I caught mine on sale. They're usually $30~40.oo .. if you don't "shop".
Here's one that is identical to the one I have .. currently selling for just under $20.oo ..&.. ships from a stateside source.
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I'll keep looking & see if I can locate a better deal.
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