What Are Your "Must Have" Edge Pro Style Stones?

Glock Guy

Glock Guy

Joined
Jul 28, 2012
Messages
1,589
OK so I'm putting together the final details on my Edge Pro order, and wanted to know what stones you long-time Edge Pro users think are "Must Have's" or favorites I need to add to my order.

Here are the 3 sets of stones I have on the list so far:

Diamond Matrix: I will be getting the full line (80-4K) of Diamond Matrix stones made by our very own D Diemaker for Edge Pro, but he mentioned they don't work the greatest on softer steels, hence this thread. I do have plenty of higher end steels to work on, but would also like some opinions on what to use on the softer, say Cr MOv type steels.

Shapton Glass: I'm getting the 500, 2k (when they are back in stock) and the 16K grit. These will mainly be used for the S35V on my CRK's.

Congress Moldmaster: A favorite of @Ankerson's that I first heard about in his awesome Spyderco CPM S110V Military Full Review. If he swears by them, I know I'll like them.

That's all I have, and I know that would probably keep me busy for a while. I was just wondering if there are any other "Favorites" out there that I haven't heard of, whether it's for polishing an edge, hogging off metal, or just an all around great stone.

Thanks in advance everyone!
 
I have all of those you mention in the OP and they are good choices imho.

I think rounding out the kit with a couple of diamond plates such as the ones sold by Edge Pro or other vendor like CKTG could come in handy.

For example, I have the Fine and Super Fine from Edge Pro, and a 140 from CKTG. I think the Edge Pro plates are from Eze-Lap as I recall.
 
Blues said:
... I think rounding out the kit with a couple of diamond plates such as the ones sold by Edge Pro or other vendor like CKTG could come in handy.
Click to expand...

I can't believe I forgot to add some diamond plates. Thanks for the advice!
 
If you are getting the Diamond Matrix stones I don't see the point in getting silicon carbide stones too, as these wear unnecessarily fast on soft steel. Why not the Matrix stones for hard steels and a set of BORIDE T2 stones for soft steel, and call it good?
 
Mr.Wizard said:
If you are getting the Diamond Matrix stones I don't see the point in getting silicon carbide stones too, as these wear unnecessarily fast on soft steel. Why not the Matrix stones for hard steels and a set of BORIDE T2 stones for soft steel, and call it good?
Click to expand...

The Edge Pro will come with the 220 and 400 grit Boride stones. I was just wondering if there are any other stones I needed to get, or what other grits that users liked.

I guess I thought there was enough of a difference between the Sic and the Diamond Matrix stones to warrant getting them both, especially since the Sic stones are so cheap. Maybe I don't need both sets though? I might just experiment with the Diamond Matrix to really get a good feel for them, then try others.

We are on the same page with using the Diamond Matrix for the tougher steels, and the the stock Edge Pro (Boride) for the softer metals.

I was just wondering if there were other great stones, or anything else I might be missing from my setup.
 
Okay. The orange 400 is a pretty good compromise stone, though it can wear a bit fast on soft steels compared to harder stones like the T2, and it lacks bite on harder steels. If it wears out too fast you can try something else. I really don't like the stock 220 stone even for soft steels, unless the formulation has changed. I think from the start you'll want another roughing stone for soft steels.
 
Mr.Wizard said:
Okay. The orange 400 is a pretty good compromise stone, though it can wear a bit fast on soft steels compared to harder stones like the T2, and it lacks bite on harder steels. If it wears out too fast you can try something else. I really don't like the stock 220 stone even for soft steels, unless the formulation has changed. I think from the start you'll want another roughing stone for soft steels.
Click to expand...

Copy that. I like the idea of a set of the T2 for the softer steels, and cheaper kitchen knives, and the Diamond Matrix for the higher end steels. I'm sure the Shaptons will fit in there someplace as well!
 
Since you are getting a full set of the Matrix stones you might want to try them out first before adding to your collection. They work fine on my Henkels and dare I say Chicago knives, although the Chicago steel is about as soft as I would go. Once the newness factor wears off I expect you will just use the Matrix stones as your go-to set. If a steel is too soft for the Matrix stones it won't hold an edge long enough to be useful anyway.
 
If it wasn't for enjoying different stones of different sorts for various knives and applications, one could pretty easily get by with a fairly small group.

Problem is, I seem to enjoy (accumulating) the sharpening stones as much as I do the knives.

I guess as long as it isn't cutting into the beer money, it's all good. :cool:
 
Diemaker said:
Since you are getting a full set of the Matrix stones you might want to try them out first before adding to your collection. They work fine on my Henkels and dare I say Chicago knives, although the Chicago steel is about as soft as I would go. Once the newness factor wears off I expect you will just use the Matrix stones as your go-to set. If a steel is too soft for the Matrix stones it won't hold an edge long enough to be useful anyway.
Click to expand...

I don't have an Edge Pro yet, but the one I'm getting only comes with 2 stones. I have heard nothing but good things about these, so I've already made up my mind to get them as I'm sure these will be my main set, and will last me a long time! I was just looking for some additional stones to add to that since I work on some cheaper knives like my in-laws cheaper knife set. I'm not even sure what steel they are, but just in case they are super soft, I needed a few stones "just in case" the Diamond Matrix won't work on them.


Blues said:
If it wasn't for enjoying different stones of different sorts for various knives and applications, one could pretty easily get by with a fairly small group. Problem is, I seem to enjoy (accumulating) the sharpening stones as much as I do the knives...
Click to expand...

That's my line of thinking, too. I want the option of having different stones so I can figure out for myself what works best on the steels/knives I have. These stones are not really expensive, so if there is a stone (or set) I want, I would rather buy it and have it, than wonder if I should have picked it up.

That said, I'm not going to go crazy and pick up 30-40 different ones, but if I settle on, say, a dozen or so, I know I'll be able to handle whatever I'm trying to sharpen!
 
For me once I get past the newness factor what I use gets trimmed down quite a bit, and not just with stones. I got to play with a full set of new Shapton Glass stones, lots of fun. But after sharpening a bunch of knives the newness factor wore off so it just sat until EP wanted it back. I would go with what EP suggests, Ben puts in a lot of time figuring it out, a lot of time. The one stone they sell that I think stands out the most is the 1000, it really is a nice stone. After that, I really like the Shapton Glass stones. I forget what the best is but I think the 500 and 2000 then maybe the 4000 would be worth getting. Don't go past 8000 IMO. Probably the alox stones would be your best option for the cheaper steels, the SGs like it a little harder IMO, and finish with a bare leather strop.
 
Mr.Wizard said:
Okay. The orange 400 is a pretty good compromise stone, though it can wear a bit fast on soft steels compared to harder stones like the T2, and it lacks bite on harder steels. If it wears out too fast you can try something else. I really don't like the stock 220 stone even for soft steels, unless the formulation has changed. I think from the start you'll want another roughing stone for soft steels.
Click to expand...


M Mr.Wizard So which T2 stones would you recommend? These stones will probably be used exclusively for the softer steel kitchen knives, so setting the bevel and getting a nice, toothy edge is really what I'm after with them.

Thanks!
 
The CKTG 140, 400 & 1K are a must have imo. Mine have seen a lot of use and are still going strong!

Mg1twkZh.jpg
 
Glock Guy Glock Guy I have only used the T2 stone in 320 grit so I cannot make specific recommendations. I have tried many of the BORIDE types in one grit or another: AS-9, AM-8, Golden Star, T2, T4, TH, CS-HD, CS-M, Orange EDM, Ruby, PC, and I think the stock white 220 stone I don't care for is an AM-K. So I am not recommending T2 for soft steel out of complete ignorance. ;)

If you want just a few: 150, 320, 600 is a good spacing. If you want the 220 and 400 stones too and can mount them yourself the "Standard" kit in "Standard Grit" (item # 028853) from BorideAbrasives.com is economical; it includes 150, 220, 320, 400, 600. These are all FEPA F grades by the way. There are T2 stones up to F1200 but do you want to put in the time to mirror polish soft steel?

p.s. I wrote "I cannot make specific recommendations" and then made specific recommendations. I'll try to explain: some BORIDE stones feel softer or harder at different grit levels, so I am assuming how e.g. the T2 150 and T2 600 stones feel.

p.p.s. You'll certainly want loose SiC grit to condition these stones, to get the best performance from them.
 
Last edited:
Blues said:
I sent you a PM, Glock Guy. Saved NW Knife Guy the effort. (See the benefits of being retired?)
Click to expand...

Thank you sir. I was looking at the picture on my phone and didn't know he was talking about diamond plates vs. stones. Sounds like great minds think alike as that was your recommendation as well!


Mr.Wizard said:
Glock Guy Glock Guy ... If you want just a few: 150, 320, 600 is a good spacing. If you want the 220 and 400 stones too and can mount them yourself the "Standard" kit in "Standard Grit" (item # 028853) from BorideAbrasives.com is economical; it includes 150, 220, 320, 400, 600. These are all FEPA F grades by the way. There are T2 stones up to F1200 but do you want to put in the time to mirror polish soft steel?

p.s. I wrote "I cannot make specific recommendations" and then made specific recommendations. I'll try to explain: some BORIDE stones feel softer or harder at different grit levels, so I am assuming how e.g. the T2 150 and T2 600 stones feel.

p.p.s. You'll certainly want loose SiC grit to condition these stones, to get the best performance from them.
Click to expand...


No worries, and thanks again for the recommendation. I'm definitely not looking to polish these softer steels. I just want to be able to give them a nice, toothy edge as quickly and efficiently as possible, and do so for many years! I will pick up some of the 60 grit sic powder with the stone leveling kit as well.

Thanks again for your help guys. Please keep the recommendations and reviews coming!
 
My pleasure, Glock Guy. From one Glock guy to another.
 
Mr.Wizard said:
Glock Guy Glock Guy I have only used the T2 stone in 320 grit so I cannot make specific recommendations. I have tried many of the BORIDE types in one grit or another: AS-9, AM-8, Golden Star, T2, T4, TH, CS-HD, CS-M, Orange EDM, Ruby, PC, and I think the stock white 220 stone I don't care for is an AM-K. So I am not recommending T2 for soft steel out of complete ignorance. ;)
Click to expand...

What all stones you have tried in 150-320 grit? have you tried golden star stone in this range? and T2 is your recommendation in this range? What is the coarsest stone you use (diamond/SIC/CBN/Boride etc) in edgepro format?

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