DMT (Diamond Machining Technology)6-inch Diamond Whetstone Sharpening Stone with Plastic Case - Fine, W6FP, Red

I purchased this DMT Whetstone as part of my expanding line-up of DMT products for home and "hobby sharpening".I love the DMT Serrated "ice pik" sharpeners! I used a Red as my primary diamond surface for 15 years and lost it.I KEEP my edges sharp, honing and refining so that actual heavy metal removal is rarely needed. A dear friend once told me "You KEEP a Cold Steel Tanto razor sharp, never let it get dull to start with!"If I notice the slightest drop in edge performance, they're gettin' honed! If honing and stropping doesn't restore the edge, THATS when you need to sharpen!I use DMT Red for the first step in sharpening a well maintained tool.This stone is an absolute must-have if you ever use the DMT Blue stones. Blue produces a rough but defined edge angle, and Red refines that surface to make it suitable for everyday usage.The stone has a break in period, and you should never use anything but water to lube them up.This stone will not "dish", or "gulley", and provides a complete flat surface for straight edge tools. Excellent quality and performance was expected, I wasn't disappointed.I would suggest an alternate company to purchase diamond stones from, but unless you choose a Japanese vendor that makes stones that are far more costly, DMT has no equal, IMHO.You can follow up the Red DMT sharpeners w/ a Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker white stone setup, or the DMT Green to produce a razors edge. Very little pressure is needed to use DMT products. Excellent shipping and reception time.Im doing everything possible to avoid heavy belt grinders and waterstones when somebody brings me a knife to "re-design??!?" WOW! GOOD LUCK on that one boys, I'll tell you.

I’ve used these in my shop for years on high speed steel cutting tools, wood chisels, and hand plane blades. They do a good job.

I have owned an array of knife sharpeners, cheap and expensive. Some results were good, some poor and others just ok. I had used oil stones previously with mixed results and electric well rated models that sometimes seemed more damaging then sharpening....to be honest I was gun shy and reluctant to spend more money on sharpening products. The only solution seemed to be to have them done professionaly.Before I ordered this stone I went to You Tube (now remember I am a retired male who just had his 70th birthday) You Tube is not somewhere I frequent often. However after watching a few videos demonstrating this stone and sharpening technique, I said to myself I can do that. I ordered this stone and when it arrived I practiced on some old pocket knives with fantastic results. I then moved on to my kitchen cutlery with the same satisfaction.However when it came to my very expensive Shun Japenese knives I was reluctant to proceed. My hands would actually shake when I attempted to try. Well I practiced some more on my friends knives and after receiving so many compliments I mustered up the courage to go ahead. Well the results were amazing.I have since purchased the DMT exra fine and a Naniwa Japenese Super Stone 5000 Grit that I use with a stropping technique that puts a long lasting polished edge on my knives that seems to make them just glide through food and vegetables effortlessly.If your knives aren't extremely dull and damaged and you only want to purchase one stone..........this is it believe me. It is a fast easily learned no mess way to keep your knives so sharp you will look forward to using them.

I purchased this to replace the fine stone out of a three-stone set I purchased a while back. This one -> DMT W6EFC Three 6-Inch Diamond Whetstone Models in Hard Wood Box <- .As in my review of that set, this stone has proven no different. It is still in great shape, and still sharpens exceedingly well, even on blades up to 8 inches. That's about the size limit I use on these stones. The only reason I've had to purchase this replacement stone is simply because I use this particular grit quite a lot; I own quite a few knives and other bladed tools that I use on a regular basis for a variety of reasons, and ALL stones will eventually wear out...especially if used as much as I use this one.This particular grit will get you a very sharp edge on your blades, but in order to get that razor- or scary-sharp edge, you'll need to fine-hone your blades with something of a higher grit, like the extra-fine version of this stone, a leather strop, etc. Personally, I'll switch to the extra-fine stone, then use the leather strop afterward. On good knives, this combination never fails to allow me to produce an edge that will cut into darn near anything I've tried to cut.You will, however, need at least a small modicum of hand-eye coordination and developed skill to hand-sharpen blades. It's not difficult to learn, but you need to have patience to learn to use stone properly.