DMT FWFC DuoSharp Double-Sided Diamond Sharpening Stone for Knives and More, 8-Inch, Fine/Coarse, White

It's the only kind I use and have been playing guitar for over 60 years.

Very Functional

If you sharpen your knives along the existing factory edge angle, eventually you might find that the blade seems to refuse to get really sharp anymore. That experience is more likely if the factory edge came with a relatively obtuse angle, as is the case with some of my pocket knives. That’s because repeated sharpening along such edge angle is liable to make the cutting edge even more obtuse. Since I strongly prefer to keep my knives very sharp, such changes in the edge angle and the consequent loss of sharpenability initially were disconcerting to me, to the extent that I almost wrote off the knives in question as lemons in terms of heat treat. Eventually it dawned on me that such blades may need to have their cutting edges reprofiled into a more acute angle. That’s why I am glad to have found this sharpener: I use the extra coarse side to narrow the “shoulders” of the cutting edge and then the coarse side to smooth out the surfaces of the edge, and this sharpener with its diamond coating does a very effective job at this task (although patience may be required as many strokes on each side of the cutting edge may be needed to change its angle). Once the reprofiling is done, my normal means of sharpening can take over and bring the screaming sharp edge back to life. Using this approach I have been able to revive 4 or 5 knives in my collection, plus my wife’s kitchen cleaver, to their former glory. I also like the broad surface of this sharpener as it is less likely to slide off the tip of the blade - which may dull such tip - at the end of each sharpening stroke (in contrast to, for example, Spyderco’s Sharpmaker rods, which are much narrower and a bit harder IME to control near the tip of the blade).

Very handy, and compact

The last diamond sharpener I owned lasted thirty years. This is very easy to use with the handle making it steady and safer. I am pleased with the results from this sharpener.

If you're only going to have one stone for keeping a handful knives sharp, this is probably the best product you're going to find. This is what I recommend to friends and family when they invariably ask me what to get after I sharpen their knives.What this product isn't: a professional bench stone for getting the best edge you can. If you're working on professional chef's knives or woodworking tools, get as large a bench stone as you can and learn to use it. DMT also makes fantastic bench stones that will generally work more quickly and consistently than other brands.What this is: A professional diamond sharpening surface in the two most useful grits for general use.- You use the blue (coarse) side to remove bulk material. This is perfect for knives that need a lot of attention due to nicks or extreme dullness. It can also be used to correct or change the blade bevel on smallish knives.- You use the red (fine) side to finish up what you started with the coarse side. Several passes on each side is all you should need to create a nice lasting edge.How to use:Take care to ensure that what you're sharpening is parallel to the surface of the stone. It can be tricky at first, but you'll feel the increased friction when the diamond surface has contact with the blade. Otherwise, you'll just be scraping the edge of the stone along the blade and doing little sharpening. This is one of the great advantages of a full-size bench stone.You can use it wet or dry; I prefer to sharpen by a sink to rinse the stone and keep it lubricated with water. It just makes things faster.For knives, hold the blade at a 22 degree angle to the stone (halfway from perpendicular is 45, and halfway from that is 22.5) and move in the direction the blade is pointed. Sweep along the blade as you sharpen to get the whole blade in each pass. On one side, you'll be pushing the blade away from you, but to get the other, you'll need to pull it toward the handle. This is a little dangerous, but if you use a little caution it should be fine. If you need to remove a lot of material, feel free to move the blade in circles and really grind the metal off.Once you're close to the final edge, start making lighter and more 'graceful' passes, being sure to alternate the sides every couple passes. This will ensure that you won't get any burrs or roll the edge over.

The Chinese coating are not dense enough to do a good job! Handles are Chinese though. I got as a gift. I will probably buy another one for myself.

I sharpen my kitchen knives every week or so, depending. Maybe that's more wear than this was designed to take. I glued it back together where it broke on the brad holes, but it now has only one piece of handle still useable. Sad, because the stone itself still sharpens. I had one like this previously that was mislaid or I'd be using it. Those handles were still going strong. Alas.