Diamond Machining Technology (DMT) W250CX-WB DuoSharp Double-Sided Diamond Sharpening Stone Bench With Base, Fine/Extra Fine, 10 Inch

Recently I purchased DMT Sharpening Stones in Extra Course, Course, Fine and Extra Fine.While I anticipated this system would work well it's performance far exceeded my expectations. With a simple honing guide you can with unerring accuracy successfully sharpen just about any straight blade in your tool box time after time.Go to the kitchen and grab the knives and with a little practice, very soon, professionally sharpened razors! Not for ceramic knives, but you most likely knew that.Finally, very expedient. I was able to remove nicks in both chisels and a 2-1/2" hand plane blade in a matter of seconds. Very little pressure is required. Enough to simply hold the honing jig in place as you move forward and backward and the diamond surfaces remove metal like it was putty. Very compact, no damaging the temper of the blades, easy to haul with you and cordless!I have used other systems including a water stone system from a major tool manufacturer that was successful but very messy and slow. Repeat set up was time consuming from chisel to chisel.This system , while very high tech in its compounds, is incredibly easy, fast, simple to use. And for the nut cases like me, you can actually "feel" the material being cut or polished as you move through the grades. You can almost sharpen by feel and sound, sans eyesight.As long as the plates stay flat and the diamonds remain firmly embedded, I see this system being my default sharpening tool for years to come.The base could be a little more substantial. I have doubts that the clips on the plate retainer will last as long as the stones, plus they are not very easy to remove. However, having used the system a few times I now prefer to place the stones on the silicone pad provided, rather than the base. I may make a base myself as I have the capacity to mill and machine, from more durable materials, with a little improvement here and there. I would not spend the money on the base unless you really want to.Regarding the price, well, you get what you pay for.Happy nick removing

Great size great geit works great

Over the last 65 years I have purchased MANY brands of sharpening stones. I have been a collector of knives my entire life and keeping them sharp is an integral part of this journey. The "good-bad-ugly" of sharpening devices, tools, stones, gimmicks, cons, etc. have all crossed my bench and honed my steel.DMT became my choice for diamond flat stones. They last longer than any other brand I have used. I currently own 8 DMT products in both duo-fold and FLAT. This purchase was my LONG sought after 10 x 3 in fine and extra fine. Is a dream to use, so much area and it cuts fast.I recommend this stone based on my many years of serious use of their products.

I was a little skeptical about this crocodile design, but it really works better compared to the regular stone. Efficient and precise.Also, the bill quality is top-notch.

It was time for me to update my process of flattening my water stones. I was using #400 silicon carbide sheets along with a glass plate and water. Which worked fine but messy and time consuming. Using this DMT sharpening plate has saved me time and I couldn't ask for better results. The plate sits in my shop sink, with a small stream of water and after a few minutes - done.

Works great as expected.

I use these mostly for sharpening woodworking tools, but I also use them for any other sharpening job that surfaces. These are expensive diamond plates, but I believe they are worth it. I didn't buy mine from Amazon because I found a great Black Friday deal at another web site, I just couldn't pass up. Sorry Amazon! I buy almost everything from Amazon if possible.I bought the 10" kit that comes with 2 DuoSharp (dual sided) diamond plates and one ABS plastic base. I actually like the base. It is simple but it works. I will order a second one so I don't have to keep switching out the diamond plates. One diamond plate is labeled Extra Course/Course and the other is labeled Fine/Extra Fine (more about that later).These plates work really well, they cut fast and you don't have to worry about wearing them down. Like many people, when I first looked at them, I thought, "How can those work with those holes in the plates?" They actually work really well, thank-you! As you grind across the plate, some of the slurry goes into the holes to keep the plate clear, this is one of the reasons why the plates cut so fast and require very little pressure. I also noticed that the hole pattern gives me auditory and tactile feedback. When I first start sharpening, I hear and feel the zip, zip, zip, as the blade moves across the plate. As the blade sharpens, the zip, zip, zip changes to a more gentle shush, shush, shush indicating the blade is getting sharper. Did I say they work great?Anyway, so why only 4 stars and not 5? Well, for one simple reason - Why is it so difficult for DMT to label their products so a person can quickly identify them and compare them to other whetstones? DMT feels the need to use a color coded system, why? OK, over time I will memorize the colors, but is it asking too much for DMT to mold the words "Fine" or "Course" into the substrate? Instead they put a colored dot on the plate. On their smaller plates, the entire plate substrate is colored. Why did DMT not do this on the larger plates? I don't have the youngest eyes, but I can't tell the difference between the black and the blue dot in less than bright light. How about a great big "FINE" or "EXTRA FINE" in neon letters! I opted to use a sharpie to mark mine for easier identification (see photo 2).When I was shopping for a sharpening solution, I found it very difficult (and still do) to compare these diamond plates to other whetstones. What does DMT mean when they say Extra Course, Course, Fine, Extra Fine, and Extra Extra Fine? Does it create the same mental image of what these terms mean when talking about sandpaper? Do all whetstones use comparable terminology? It turns out that the answer is a bit complicated and if I had to give a one word answer it would be - Nope!For example, if you look at the information provided by DMT, a Fine plate is described to have a 600 mesh/25 micron particle size. OK, how does that compare to other whetstones or abrasives? What I found out is that it isn't really all that easy to compare one abrasive to another because it depends not only on the size of the grit particles but also on the uniformity of the particle sizes, how many particles are on the substrate, and how evenly the particles are distributed across the substrate. So anyway, I recommend using the Mesh value and the Micron size rating to give you a relative comparison with other whetstones. Heck, I don't even know what "Mesh" means, but the Fine diamond plate is rated as "600 mesh/25 microns". Looking at other whetstones (Shapton ceramic stones), it appears that a 25 micron stone is probably around 600 grit. OK so does "Mesh" mean the same thing as "Grit"? Not exactly! What DMT calls their "Extra Extra Fine" plate at "8000 mesh/3 microns" looks to be about the same particle size as a 6500 grit whetstone. In my mind 6500 grit does not qualify as Extra Extra Fine. For another example, a Shapton 8000 grit ceramic stone has an abrasive particle size of 1.84 microns which is about one-half the size of the 8000 mesh/Extra Extra Fine DMT plate. Getting even finer, the Shapton 16000 grit ceramic stone has a particle size of .92 microns and the 30000 grit Shapton has a particle size of .49 microns. Now that is Extra Extra fine!Don't get me wrong, I am not blaming DMT. There doesn't appear to be a uniform industry rating system for these products which makes it hard to compare adequately. I love these diamond plates! They are expensive, but they will last a very long time and give predictable results every time with very little maintenance. The product information doesn't recommend doing this, but I use these diamond plates to lap my other whetstones including the Shapton 16000. I would give these diamond plates 4.5 stars if I could, and if DMT would come up with a better labeling system and a better explanation of how to compare these diamond plates to other sharpening options, I would definitely rate them a 5+.Photo 1: Size of the plates about 10.5 x 4 - Get the big ones if budget will allow.Photo 2: I added the letter designation to help me remember the color codePhoto 3: Relative size compared to an 8" Shapton ceramic whetstone. Now, that is how to label a whetstone!Pros: Cuts fast, flat, little maintenance, joy to use, great valueCons: Expensive, labeling is poor, difficult to compare to other products.I strongly recommend these products.

I fellow Amazon reviewer mentioned if you can afford it, get the larger 10"×4" size. That was good advice.Does a nice job sharpening. I whittle, so I need to strop afterwards.Expensive, but better quality than cheaper ones.