# UltraSharp Diamond Stones ... Anyone Here Using Them?



## Lovegasoline (Apr 18, 2018)

I've got some water stones but I want to try out diamond stones because I'd like to put the resurfacing and soaking behind me, plus be able to work on carbide edges and also flatten some items. 
I'm seeing what looks to be a budget priced set of three 8" x3" diamond plates:
http://www.bestsharpeningstones.com/catalog/Ultra-Sharp-Diamond-Sharpening-Stones.htm

But I'm not seeing much by way of woodworkers, plane sharpeners, etc. who have used them. Anyone here own a set and would care to give some feedback?
Thanks a bunch!
-Lovegsasoline


----------



## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

No I don't use them but I'll stick my nose in if you'll permit.

IMO you need a higher grit than 1200, especially for chisels and plane irons.

I believe the Diasharp EEfine equates to 8000 grit.


----------



## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

I use the diamond stones and where I need a finer edge I use the super fine sandpapers mounted on a glass or granite slab, then a buffing wheel. 
I think the 1200 diamond stone is all you need for carbide because on carbide is almost impossible to get as fine an edge as steel.


----------



## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I sharpen everything with a diamond stone. The secret is to not be aggressive with a diamond because they cut so quickly. I find that when I sharpen a kitchen knife, I take a light swipe on one side and then on the other side and then wipe the knife on a white cloth (usually my tee shirt). it leaves a black trail. That shows me how aggressive a diamond stone is. In the past, I have been going at it aggressively and wondering why the blade was not getting sharp; too much aggression.


----------



## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

I use dmt stones extensively with flatwork and lathe tools. I consider them far superior to oil or waterstones because they cut quickly, sharpen any hardened steel, stay flat, and there is little mess with water or other liquid for swarf. Any flat blade gets polished with polishing film for a superior edge.

I also wonder about the Ultrs sharp brand stones. The price is nice but may reflect lesser overall performance and not be that good of value.


----------



## Lovegasoline (Apr 18, 2018)

Currently finest water stone is a 6000 grit King.

I like water stones but the mess, fuss, and stone maintenance has always been a bit of a fly in the ointment. I never keep my stones always soaking in water and ready, and due to small shop space restrictions I end up sharpening on the kitchen table, lol. While the actual action of metal on water stone is pleasing, it's messy, clean up is a PITA, and the whole production removes it from an integral part of the fabrication flow.

Influenced by reading Paul Sellers recently and imagining a convenient piece of plywood holding three diamond plates + a strop non of which need to be babied, I'm curious.

It's interesting that some of you are finding 1200 too coarse. OSU55, can you elaborate on the polishing film? Are you introducing a step after your finest diamond plate (at what grit?) and before stropping (I'm assuming you do the latter?).

Alas, still no feedback on the diamond plates in question, the UltraSharp. 
Reviews on Amazon are gushing and appear legit, but odd that no woodworkers are using them. Owing to the fact that I already have several water stones so I can't at present justify the expense of a set of DMT Diamond Plates and even the EZElap plates are a chunk of change for a set of three: but $108 for the UltraSharp three plate set offers a temptation.


----------



## gleasoncraftworks (Jan 8, 2015)

I use the DMT DiaSharp's, and I have no complaints. I have three of them (coarse, fine, and extra fine) along with a leather strop set into a board as a sharpening station. It is infinitely more convenient than any other setup I was using. It only takes a few passes on the fine and extra fine stones, and then a lick on the strop, to be as sharp as can be. I only use the coarse to repair damage or flatten new tools. Honestly, a guy could probably get by perfectly with just the two finer ones.

My reference points are using a white aluminum oxide wheel on the slow speed grinder, an oil stone, and the "scary sharp" sandpaper method. Of the above, the oil stone was a huge pain in the body parts, the AL-OX wheel works well enough, but burning the edge is always a danger. The "scary sharp" method produces the sharpest tools you can possibly imagine, but it seems like such a chore each time. I always dreaded doing it, and my tools were probably dull all the time. The diamond stones are fast, easy, and convenient. I run a lap across the setup each time before I use my tools and I hardly feel like I lost any time at all, and my tools are razor sharp.

I have no idea why there is so little feedback here about your question, but I will summarize my answer thus: I can't see myself using anything else to sharpen chisels and plane blades. Period.

Good luck!


----------



## Mr_Pink (May 20, 2017)

I have the fine and extra fine Ultrasharp plates, and I think they're a great deal. They are both perfectly flat, and I've noticed no defect in either of them. Most importantly, they both work as expected.


----------



## Lovegasoline (Apr 18, 2018)

That's good to hear Mr. Pink. Have you used any other brands Diamond plates as comparison?


----------



## Mr_Pink (May 20, 2017)

I have a coarse DMT that sits next to the two Ultrasharp. I also have two smaller EZE-Lap plates that the 8×3 Ultrasharp plates replaced. While this doesn't allow a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, I can say that there is no obvious difference in quality.

The only minor difference I noticed is that the Ultrasharp plates didn't ship with stick-on rubber feet like the others did, but I'm not sure that's a negative. (It certainly doesn't justify the price difference.) The rubber feet that came with the established brands slide around more than the no-slip feet I bought the cheaper plates.


----------



## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

Loves gasoline here is my blog on sharpening. In short, jagged edges can be stropped and be sharp, but wont last as long as a smooth sharp edge.


----------



## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

I've had better results using Atoma diamond plates than the DMT diamond plates.


----------



## r33tc0w (Jan 27, 2017)

Finally got a coarse and extra fine plate and the first chisel I sharpened took about 10min to re-establish a new bevel. Of course this was a cheap chisel I got at Lowe's and now I'm regretting the rest because the factory clear coat they put on the chisel is now yellow on my plates. Will this affect the plates or is this just a aesthetic thing that'll go away eventually?


----------



## Chashint (Aug 14, 2016)

I have looked at all of the diamond plate options before and ultimately decided to go cheap with sandpaper on a flat tile.
For the most part I have been good with that but this week got me thinking about that decision again.
i know I simply reaped what I had sowed but I have spent a lot of time reconditioning some old chisels that I have been abusing for years.
It's a little bit late now but I f I hadn't just gone through that this thread might not have prompted me to order those UltraSharp diamond plates. 
Yeah, I know, kinda going cheap again.
It will be a while before I know how good they are, but when I have used them enough to have a reasonable opinion I will try to dig up this thread and post my experience with them.


----------



## Lovegasoline (Apr 18, 2018)

Mr_Pink, thanks a bunch for the report that's the sort of practical info that makes the UltraSharp seem worth trying.

waho6o9, I've read great things about the Atoma plates however they's out of my budget for sharpening upgrades at present.

r33tc0w, maybe try cleaning the blades with lacquer thinner before sharpening?

Charlie H., yeah the diamond plates can be pricey, that's the appeal of the UltraSharp plates. For what it's worth all the Amazon reviews are overwhelming positive and I've not read any feedback that trashes the plates. Their guarantee seems like the vendor is willing to back up the product, and the price is great especially for those on a budget and sitting on the fence regarding diamond plates.

OSU55, thanks for the links it looks interesting, I'm looking forward to perusing your efforts when I've got some free time.


----------



## r33tc0w (Jan 27, 2017)

I was just gonna not sharpen them on the stones - what about removing the yellow from the plates? Would it be safe to use thinner on them?


----------



## Lovegasoline (Apr 18, 2018)

Based on user input from other members I ordered the set of three diamond plates, thanks again for all the feedback.

PS: r33tcOw, I don't know how the diamonds are bonded to the plate so I couldn't say if what solution is recommended to clean them. Try contacting the manufacturer. It's possible that with routine use and cleaning the yellow residue will get worn away. On a related note I've seen images of a lot of discolored diamond plates and that seems to be quite common.


----------



## Chashint (Aug 14, 2016)

The ones I ordered arrived today.
I got the three plate set through Amazon.
They came with a stone holder that looks like it is very well made.
I did an impulse buy so I didn't realize a holder was included.
The plates average .335 thick, one measurement in the middle of each plate.
They look pretty flat when the straight edge is on them and held up to the light.
The plating looks real good.
I spent a little while gently breaking in the 300 grit stone using a hunk of junk Stanley block plane.
Even though I was being gentle there were a couple of pretty good scratches left on the bottom of the block plane and I could feel it on the initial couple passes.
It didn't take very long for the plate to stop being grabby.
Probably a good idea to break in the plates before running something good across them.
As time allows I will mess with the other plates.
If anything bad pops up I will post the results here.
Initial impression for me is positive.


----------



## Lovegasoline (Apr 18, 2018)

Thanks for reporting back Charlie … and a timely reminder for me to break the plates in.


----------



## Chashint (Aug 14, 2016)

Since I have had the sharpening stones for about 6 months I thought I would give an update. 
After the initial round of sharpening anything that I had not already sharpened using sandpaper I have only used them a few times to touch up edges. 
The surface of all plates was very easy to get smooth and consistent, I used the sole of a junker block plane and very lightly honed it making sure to overhang the edges of the plates, it only took a few passes and any high spots were taken care of. 
Today I dug up an old 1/2" Craftsman chisel and it was in pretty sad shape. 
I don't remember what I had used it for but the entire cutting edge was totally messed up. 
Broke out the UltraSharp plates and went about getting the chisel back into shape.
This chisel had never been flattened and it was quite a bit off.
I would have gone through a lot of sandpaper getting it back into shape. 
It's really nice that the diamond plates don't load up, just keep giving them a squirt of water and it's good to keep going. 
When I used the sandpaper I think I continued through several more grits per the 'scary sharp' methodology. 
I think 1200 is a fine enough edge for my use. 
Longevity of the plates is still an unknown but there are no obvious indicators that make me think they will wear out prematurely. 
I am not really a hand tool guy so I am not sharpening chisels and plane irons very often so take my results / feedback with that in mind


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

WATCH THIS before you buy diamond stones for tool/knife sharpening!


----------



## Lovegasoline (Apr 18, 2018)

I forgot about this thread and I'm reporting back in the event anyone is looking for some feedback on the Ultrasharp Diamond Stones. 
I obtained the three pack and have been using them for over a year, albeit not heavily day-in-day out use. 
I have no complaints and I'm pleased with the product. I made a holder as suggested by Paul Sellers.

Due to the convenience I've not had the inclination to use my water stones. I also obtained a Rockler granite surface plate and some 3M films to play with but that too hasn't seen much action. The convenance factor is very high with the diamond plates and sharpening feels like less of a chore. I'm using automobile windshield cleaner spray (another Paul Seller's suggestion), it's cheap and gets the job done. If I want to get the diamond plates gleaming I clean them with a little Bartender's Friend powder. The system is easy to use, easy to store, easy to clean … and therefor it's wholly effective because I use it. I'm a recent graduate of the 'it works and life is short so there's no need to get neurotically obsessive about sharpening except for rare bursts of aesthetic and mechanical curiosity'.

Wish I'd have gotten them years ago!


----------



## Lovegasoline (Apr 18, 2018)

I forgot about this thread and I'm reporting back in the event anyone is looking for some feedback on the Ultrasharp Diamond Stones.

I obtained the three pack as referenced in my first post and have been using them for over a year, albeit not heavily day-in-day out use. I can't compare them with other diamond plates as I've not used any other brands. 
I have no complaints and I'm pleased with the product. They are defect free and appear to be flat. I made a single holder for all three pieces from a waste piece of plywood demonstrated by Paul Sellers.

Due to the convenience I've not had the inclination to use my water stones. I also obtained a Rockler granite surface plate and some 3M films to play with but that too hasn't seen much sharpening action. The convenience factor is very high with the diamond plates and sharpening is much less of chore and more readily dispatched. I don't have to be concerned with damaging the plates like I do with gouging my water stones. The reduction in the MESS vs. my waterstones is a game changer. I'm using automobile windshield cleaner spray (another Paul Seller's suggestion) it's cheap and gets the job done. If I want to get the diamond plates gleaming I clean them with a little Bartender's Friend powder. The system is easy to use, easy to store, easy to clean … and therefor it's wholly effective because I use it. I'm a recent graduate of the 'it works and life is short so there's no need to get neurotically obsessive about sharpening (except for rare bursts of aesthetic and mechanical curiosity)'. If I ever feel the need or if the wood is telling me I need to go bigger on the sharpening or go home I can always put some ultra fine 3m film on the surface plate or if a hole is burning money in my pocket I can by an ultrasuperdeluxfine ceramic stone.

Wish I'd have gotten them years ago!


----------



## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Warning when using diamond for sharpening: Diamond cuts very fast, so it is easy to over sharpen. Just a few light strokes on a diamond is enough to maintain a sharp edge. Heavy and many strokes can actually remove an already sharp edge, so go easy. Diamond stones will clog when sharpening carbon steel tools, so keep it wet. Works best with carbide and HSS.


----------



## Kirk650 (May 8, 2016)

I use DMT diamond plates, and have for over 10 years. Mostly I use medium and very fine, then the leather strop with the fine rouge. Lately I have put a hard black Arkansas stone between the very fine diamond stone and the strop. I think it's fast and effective, and I don't want to spend all my time sharpening.


----------



## Thorbjorn88 (Jan 4, 2018)

I have two sets, I bought the 6×2 set of 3 over a year ago because I was naive and just getting into hand tools. They work great. I somehow managed to gouge the medium one and they sent me a replacement no problem. In march I bought the 8×3 set of 3 and have been very satisfied. I've never tried a different brand of diamond stones, but mine are perfectly flat, cut well and leave a good edge.

As to 1200 being fine enough, I follow up with a strop and green compound and get a mirror finish on my plane irons and chisels and a glassy finish on my wood after the plane so I don't have any urge to get a finer stone.


----------

