DMT EF/EEF 6" Double sided stone

G

Gil P.

Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Messages
116
Would anyone else like to see this stone get made? I think it make for the perfect pocket stone.

DMT makes a F/EF stone, but the F stone is too coarse for regular sharpening.

Maybe if enough people bother DMT they'll consider making it. These stones are a great size for sharpening knives and axes in the field.
 
I honestly don't see the need for an EEF stone in the field. Chances are if I need to resharpen a knife in the field, an EF stone usually does the trick. If I have gone beyond dull to the point I have done a bit of damage to the edge (chip/roll), then I want the F stone to remove material faster, then finish with the EF. To me, having an EEF stone (in the field) serves no purpose, unless I am bored and feel the need to shave some hair off my arm and then try to split those hairs. Which is never.

In my experiences in the field, an edge sharpened to EEF (let's call it 1000+ grit) becomes an EF edge (let's call it 600 grit) very quickly. So, again - I don't see the need to have a 1000+ grit finished edge for a knife that is going to see a lot of field/camp/hunting/bushcrafting use. They don't stay that way long, and offer no real advantage for typical field chores. Give me a 600 edge any day, all day for a field knife.

I do like the DMT diafold, and always have one with me when out in the wilderness. But a F/EF suits me just me fine - I have absolutely no need for an 8000 grit edge in the field, which I believe is what the DMT EEF is.
 
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A 6" DMT Double Sided Dia-Sharp benchstone is too big and heavy for me to carry in the field as a pocket stone. I like the Double Sided Diafold, as shane45-1911 mentions, but in Coarse/Extra-Coarse, as I have no use for smooth edges.
 
I think that DMT made a mistake by leaving such a huge gap in-between the EF and EEF.

I recently saw the thread about Ultra Sharp Diamond stones and am considering getting their 2,200 and 3,000 grit stones.
 
GCG199 said:
I think that DMT made a mistake by leaving such a huge gap in-between the EF and EEF.

I recently saw the thread about Ultra Sharp Diamond stones and am considering getting their 2,200 and 3,000 grit stones.
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I'll have to check those out, I've never heard of them.
 
shane45-1911 said:
I honestly don't see the need for an EEF stone in the field. Chances are if I need to resharpen a knife in the field, an EF stone usually does the trick. If I have gone beyond dull to the point I have done a bit of damage to the edge (chip/roll), then I want the F stone to remove material faster, then finish with the EF. To me, having an EEF stone (in the field) serves no purpose, unless I am bored and feel the need to shave some hair off my arm and then try to split those hairs. Which is never.

In my experiences in the field, an edge sharpened to EEF (let's call it 1000+ grit) becomes an EF edge (let's call it 600 grit) very quickly. So, again - I don't see the need to have a 1000+ grit finished edge for a knife that is going to see a lot of field/camp/hunting/bushcrafting use. They don't stay that way long, and offer no real advantage for typical field chores. Give me a 600 edge any day, all day for a field knife.

I do like the DMT diafold, and always have one with me when out in the wilderness. But a F/EF suits me just me fine - I have absolutely no need for an 8000 grit edge in the field, which I believe is what the DMT EEF is.
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I don't disagree with you, you make some very good points. I've gotten some of my best edges off of my EF. It's well worn in, and leaves what I'd call a 2000 grit finish.

I like the 6" stones because they are easy to use just by holding them in your hand and sharpening. I enjoy sharpening to finer grits and have only experienced serious edge problems with true scandi edges, and some Bark Rivers they id sharpened too thin.
 
DMT does make an EF/EEF DiaFold. I have one of those, but essentially never use the EEF side at all. For a diamond hone, the jump between EF (1200 / 9 micron) and EEF (8000 / 3 micron) is where the edge loses more toothy 'bite' than I'd prefer. The EEF tends toward a more polished edge. And if polishing is the goal, I'd rather go from the EF to a hardwood strop with 3-micron diamond compound, which works very well for polishing - better than if going to the EEF hone.

My actual preference overall, for a clean & toothy EDC edge from a diamond hone, is the Fine (600 / 25 micron) DMT. And sometimes I'll step down to the Coarse (325 / 45 micron), which also works very well, used with a delicate touch.

I don't know if DMT gets quite enough demand at the EEF end of the spectrum for their hones, at which their diamond polishing compounds fill that gap and are probably more popular. I'd think if they did have more demand for the EEF hones, they'd likely already have more products utilizing it.
 
GCG199 said:
I think that DMT made a mistake by leaving such a huge gap in-between the EF and EEF.

I recently saw the thread about Ultra Sharp Diamond stones and am considering getting their 2,200 and 3,000 grit stones.
Click to expand...
They make a medium extra fine that is 6 micron(4k equivalent).
 
Bill3152 said:
They make a medium extra fine that is 6 micron(4k equivalent).
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I think that's the only one I'm missing from their line, but to be honest, it's not one I really need as I have other alternatives in bonded diamonds or other abrasives with which I can accomplish the task when required.
 
For my needs I use 325 dmt for the kitchen. With th exception of one chef knife and one santoku for chopping. Anything above 1200 is more for fun than function. Imo anyway. I don't cut sushi so I suppose that would be valuable if I did. I have suehiro 10 and 15k, the venev bonded and the eef dmt. As well as diamond lapping film, and several pasted strops. Leather and balsa. I have lots of jnats midrange and finishers. But I use them for razors.
 
Bill3152 said:
Do you mean c/ef? I never saw an eef available in anything other than the 8x3 plate and single sided only.
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Yeah me neither. I worded that wrong. I wish there were C/EEF combos in a 4x2 and wallet sizes. In the meantime at home and on the road, I use a 4x2 C and 1x4 EEF. In the woods I carry C and F wallet size.
 
👆

I wondered this myself. The XC is 220 grit and the EF is 1200, almost a jump of 1000. How does this work for you?
 
The concept of the "polished toothy edge" is the holy grail for some of us. "Big teeth" from the coarse stone, which penetrate the work being cut. But the teeth are polished very smooth so they have little friction as you make the cut, making it a much more clean cut.

Juranich advocated this kind of edge, but he didn't describe it at a microscopic level. He didn't really even say anything about "why". He just said to do so by using a very coarse stone and a very fine stone. As with most of his book (The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening), he's very confusing while talking about this, as he says that "teeth" in a blade do not exist and that sharp blades don't have them at all under his "mortician's microscope". I just re-read that section of the book (page 19).

I've personally found that very coarse edges do everything I want a blade to do, better than a fine edge. The problem is trying to effectively deburr the edge without removing the "bite" imparted by the coarse stone. Very coarse followed by very fine might be the ticket. I'll have to experiment with my belt sander.

Brian.
 
Gil P. said:
I've never used their XC, the C was plenty course enough for me. How'd your blades handle the grit jump?
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That works great for a utility edge or quick touchup. The C is just not aggressive enough for rapid edge reset.

The XC makes it quick and easy followed by a microbevel on the EF to tailor the edge. A bit rough for some edges, but a nice compromise for a single combo stone.
 
bgentry said:
The concept of the "polished toothy edge" is the holy grail for some of us. "Big teeth" from the coarse stone, which penetrate the work being cut. But the teeth are polished very smooth so they have little friction as you make the cut, making it a much more clean cut.

Juranich advocated this kind of edge, but he didn't describe it at a microscopic level. He didn't really even say anything about "why". He just said to do so by using a very coarse stone and a very fine stone. As with most of his book (The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening), he's very confusing while talking about this, as he says that "teeth" in a blade do not exist and that sharp blades don't have them at all under his "mortician's microscope". I just re-read that section of the book (page 19).

I've personally found that very coarse edges do everything I want a blade to do, better than a fine edge. The problem is trying to effectively deburr the edge without removing the "bite" imparted by the coarse stone. Very coarse followed by very fine might be the ticket. I'll have to experiment with my belt sander.

Brian.
Click to expand...

If I'm understanding correctly, I think I've gotten this kind of edge off the EF. It's got a sticky kind of edge. You can really feel it cut into your skin when you slide the blade on your fingertips.

The trick is the burr removal. If you can remove the burr completely without strops you really get the most out of the edge. Otherwise I use a 1 micron strop to remove whatever small burr is left. I used to start with a 6 micron strop, but found it was too aggressive if you want to keep any bite in your edge.

It would be nice to see your edges in person so I can see what you're talking about.
 
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