DMT 4" stone or Credit Card?

P

pinnah

Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
5,782
Hey folks,

I'm looking for small, light and travel capable stone for touching up a knife in the field or when traveling. Will ride in a backpack mostly and will be used mostly for quick touch ups. Knives are mostly Buck folders with blades in the 3"-4" range and with steels like 420HC and 440C.

I'm looking at the DMT 4" stone and their even smaller, lighter "credit card" sharpening plates.

The size and weight of the credit card plates makes them super attractive.

Would love to hear from folks who have used either or both on their relative merits.

Thanks,

Dave
 
Dave,

I have both versions; the 4" Dia-Sharp (continuous surface) hone in EF, and the 'credit card' in F and EF. I constantly reach for the 'credit card' more often. I've come to like the wider surface of that one; it's perfect for traditonal pocketknife-sized blades. The extra width makes getting a smooth, sweeping pass across the hone much simpler, with less worry of the tip running off the edge. Most or all of a traditional-sized blade's edge will rest more stably on that wider surface. For me, that also helps to stabilize the angle. And obviously, the 'credit card' version is as pocketable as one could hope for. The credit card's steel plate is hardened, and at only 0.05" thickness, it's very rigid. Not flimsy at all, as some might otherwise assume. Even at this thinness, it still has some impressive 'heft' to it.

The thinness of the credit card hone might take a little getting used to, as you have to be more careful with your fingertips overlapping the edge of the hone, if 'free-handing' both hone and blade. But, with some practice and emphasis on keeping each stroke slow & controlled (good sharpening practice anyway), it doesn't take long to get accustomed to it.
 
Last edited:
Pinnah,
If you are putting it in your pack, so that it doesn't have to be ultra compact. I am a big fan of the DMT folding dimond sharpeners. I carry two(red/blue, and green/tan) in my pack every day (because i get bored at work). But the Red/Blue one would be the perfect one for 99% of your sharpening needs and still very light.

Just my two cents.

I have found that, for me, the larger the sharpener the better my sharpening job is. if its too small it would work, just not as conviently as one that lets you make longer strokes.

hope it helps,
Travis
 
I agree with Trapper78. I keep a diafold at home next to my desk and it seems to work better, fo me, than the credit card sharpener, However, I pack the credit card sharpener in my wallet and it has plenty of opportunity to get used. I did glue a piece of lapping film to the back of the credit card sharpener which increases its usefulness. there doesn't seem to be much difference in weight between the two. I'd say a 2 sided duofold in the pack or a 2 sided credit card in the pocket. I think that Eze-lap and Hewlett(sp ?) make comparable sharpeners.
 
I love the set of sharpening cards. Carry them in my wallet and use them on the go. I like them better than the diafold just because they go wherever my wallet does. I use the extra fine more than the others for simple edge maintenance but, with a little patience, you can take a knife from very dull to shaving sharp with the set.
 
i like the credit card size as it will slip under a ranger band on a sheath no problem.
 
I carry DMT 4" pocket stones in my back pack for field sharpening. I have the blue/coarse and green/extra fine. I do want to keep a DMT CC stone in my wallet though.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Dave,

I have both versions; the 4" Dia-Sharp (continuous surface) hone in EF, and the 'credit card' in F and EF. I constantly reach for the 'credit card' more often. I've come to like the wider surface of that one; it's perfect for traditonal pocketknife-sized blades. The extra width makes getting a smooth, sweeping pass across the hone much simpler, with less worry of the tip running off the edge. Most or all of a traditional-sized blade's edge will rest more stably on that wider surface. For me, that also helps to stabilize the angle. And obviously, the 'credit card' version is as pocketable as one could hope for. The credit card's steel plate is hardened, and at only 0.05" thickness, it's very rigid. Not flimsy at all, as some might otherwise assume. Even at this thinness, it still has some impressive 'heft' to it.

The thinness of the credit card hone might take a little getting used to, as you have to be more careful with your fingertips overlapping the edge of the hone, if 'free-handing' both hone and blade. But, with some practice and emphasis on keeping each stroke slow & controlled (good sharpening practice anyway), it doesn't take long to get accustomed to it.
Click to expand...

I also have the CC DMT, and as i only carry traditionals, there is a bit of a 'problem'. The CC is very wide, as you said, so the whole blade will rest on the stone while sharpening. My question is, because the curve of the blade is always in contact with the stone, wouldn't that lead to more steel removal on that curved edge ? Even when i sharpen the edge below the curve, the curve is in contact, and as i lift or rotate the blade to get a consistent angle, that part is always touching the stone, while the straight edge doesn't. With the sharpmaker rods, i can sharpen the whole edge and not over work the curved part. Maybe you can clarify this for me, i would appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
 
jacktrades_nbk said:
I also have the CC DMT, and as i only carry traditionals, there is a bit of a 'problem'. The CC is very wide, as you said, so the whole blade will rest on the stone while sharpening. My question is, because the curve of the blade is always in contact with the stone, wouldn't that lead to more steel removal on that curved edge ? Even when i sharpen the edge below the curve, the curve is in contact, and as i lift or rotate the blade to get a consistent angle, that part is always touching the stone, while the straight edge doesn't. With the sharpmaker rods, i can sharpen the whole edge and not over work the curved part. Maybe you can clarify this for me, i would appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

To avoid turning all your short blades into wharncliffes when using wide stones you have to sweep the blade so that the angle of the handle relative to the direction of your strokes is continually changing. This is tricky to do on the credit card sharpeners but it can be done. Don't hurry it or you'll cut your fingertips.
 
jacktrades_nbk said:
I also have the CC DMT, and as i only carry traditionals, there is a bit of a 'problem'. The CC is very wide, as you said, so the whole blade will rest on the stone while sharpening. My question is, because the curve of the blade is always in contact with the stone, wouldn't that lead to more steel removal on that curved edge ? Even when i sharpen the edge below the curve, the curve is in contact, and as i lift or rotate the blade to get a consistent angle, that part is always touching the stone, while the straight edge doesn't. With the sharpmaker rods, i can sharpen the whole edge and not over work the curved part. Maybe you can clarify this for me, i would appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

I've come to view that aspect as good thing, actually. I've noticed over time, the 'belly' of the blade on my knives is always sharper than the rest of the edge. I noticed this, because it's almost always the belly that cuts me, when I 'finger' the edge to check for sharpness. It's also the belly that seems to go through paper like a laser beam, when I test it that way.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Since I already know that the belly spends more time in contact, I do a couple of things to compensate. When sweeping the edge across & down the hone, I keep a close eye on the belly portion, and when I 'lift' the blade to keep the belly's edge flush to the hone, I also lighten up on pressure dramatically as it sweeps through the belly. I also speed up the stroke slightly in that portion, as I'm lifting the blade, so the belly itself doesn't get too much exposure in any one small spot. I started doing that some time back, because I was dragging the belly a little too heavily and slowly as I lifted, and it was producing some occasional flat spots in the belly of the blade.
 
Thanks for the information and help :D
Guess I'll have to work more on sharpening with that card, because i still find it weird for small blades.
 
i was looking at the card style dmt hones because of their price. i would however use them at the house instead of carrying. i was also thinking about gluing them to some blocks of wood to give me some finger an knuckle clearence. would these work well to get me into freehand sharpening at a low cost?
 
I have the card set and keep it in my kitchen drawer. I don't carry a wallet and when I am hiking or hunting I have the folding DMT in my pack. The cards are really good , I just have yet to carry them .
 
I keep a Fallkniven DC3 in my backpack. It's mostly used on smaller knives such as an Opinel 6 and Ontario GI Camp Knife. I also keep a white rubber pencil eraser rubber banded to the DC3 case to clean the stone after sharpening.
 
A note on the credit card sharpener:

Don't put it near a p-38 can opener if they are both kept in your wallet. I have used the CC sharpener for a long time, and I recently added a p-38 to my wallet. It was in a separate compartment, but after about a month of carrying them both together, I pulled my sharpener out one day and it had a p-38 sized lump that totally ruined it.

I am going to buy another one because it is a great little sharpener, but this time I will make sure to keep it surrounded by flatness.
 
Here is a variety of sharpeners - all portable. The DMT credit card sized sharpener is at the middle top. The folding DMT Mini-Sharps at the bottom are very portable and do a very good job.

aatakeitwithyousharpene.jpg


I carry a red (fine) folding Mini-Sharp with me. Very comfortable in the pocket. I have carried the credit card type in my wallet but found that it caused a couple cards (credit and gas) to crack as the sharpener does not bend/flex.

aa1985cvcase6347stockma.jpg
 
i have recently bought the 4" DMT stone and i love them. They are a little awkward at first but once you get the hang of it they are amazing. I have been able to cut paper before with my knives, but with these stones a can literally push cut a hair.
 
Hey pinnah, did you consider the Fallkniven DC4??
You have both options in one, with traditional knives steels you can semi reprofile with the 25 micron diamond side, and the ceramic side leaves a very nice polish edge.
Here you can see my whittling kit with the stone and a little handmade double sided strop.
9CAD619B-06B3-4B3D-BBDD-EB46FA215227-5767-000007FD888AD5B6.jpg


Mateo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top