Review on 🔪 DMT Diamond Machining Technology D8ME: Precision and Durability in Diamond Sharpening Tools by Richard Summerall

I have been using various diamond stones including DMT stones for about ten years. DMT used to be the best quality, but lately I've noticed that the quality is dropping. When I received this stone there were several small indentations on the diamond surface of the stone which caused the blade to snag when struck. I thought a good hack would take care of that, but I was wrong. I found at least a couple more spots on the stone that caused the edge of the blade to snag during sharpening, resulting in actual blade damage. I sent it back to DMT and the replacement was slightly better but still faulty. I received a refund and decided to return to the Water Stones and Arkansas Stones. God, I forgot what I was missing. Yes, diamond stones cut faster, but they leave deep grooves on the edge that interfere with fine polishing of the edge. Fine polishing the edge of any steel literally doubles the life of the edge compared to the jagged, micro-serrated edges of a diamond stone. I started making edged knives 30 years ago and have found that all types of bench stones have their place. I keep my DMT diamond stones for basic steel shaping and shaping, water stones for most other edge grinding tasks, and Arkansas stones for extreme edge polishing so they can shave loose hairs off your arm without touching the edge at all to push against. your skin, leaving the hair caught at the edge. In summary, I cannot recommend this stone. If you want the best overall sharpening system, get a coarse diamond stone for profiling, a good set of waterstones, a black surgical or translucent Arkansas stone for ultrapolishing the edge, and then a good snare for finishing the edge. If I could only pick one system to save money I would buy a set of water stones and a good line that would cost me less than $100.