Hello all,
I got a good deal on these two Tormek diamond wheels and do mostly knife sharpening for myself, friends and colleagues.
While waiting for the wheels I thought I'd ask here if anyone has experience skipping DF (fine) the stone between the two? I know the scratch pattern differs from the original stone, with which I often go from course to the leather wheel.
I have owned DF (400 grit) once and found it very effective and thought I'd try jumping from 360 (DC) to EF which I believe is 1000 grit, before going all in on three wheels.
Much interested in your thoughts on this.
Cheers!
I have all 3 diamond grindstones for my sharpening business.
I typically use the DC-250 (360G) to reshape/reprofile blades, and sharpen with the DF-250 (600G). Only when the customer wants a finer edge (and willing to pay more), do I use the DE-250 (1200G)
From personal experience... Going from the DC-250 to DE-250 is going to add a lot of time to your sharpening. Some factors to be considered are hardness of the steel, and what level of sharpness you're trying to achieve.
I spend most of the time at the DC-250, lesser time with the DF-250, and the least time with the DE-250.
So it's definitely a possibility, but the time take is going to be hella long.
Quote from: Royale on September 24, 2025, 06:11:54 PMI have all 3 diamond grindstones for my sharpening business.
I typically use the DC-250 (360G) to reshape/reprofile blades, and sharpen with the DF-250 (600G). Only when the customer wants a finer edge (and willing to pay more), do I use the DE-250 (1200G)
From personal experience... Going from the DC-250 to DE-250 is going to add a lot of time to your sharpening. Some factors to be considered are hardness of the steel, and what level of sharpness you're trying to achieve.
I spend most of the time at the DC-250, lesser time with the DF-250, and the least time with the DE-250.
So it's definitely a possibility, but the time take is going to be hella long.
Great input, thanks!
Maybe I should replace the DE for for an DE. For how long have you owned the DC, does it keep its 360 grit spec well since it was broken in?
I guess I was thinking that I could use the DE to get rid of most om the burr from DC, and that I could live with the scratch pattern DF-250 otherwise would have lessened.
Also on more traditional and high carbide knives, rather than m390, s30v, my plan was to use SG-250 as course as possible as first step and than DE before honing.
But I guess I'll end up with the DF as well.
I've used my DC-250 since... December last year? It still cuts very well for 360G, but for faster reprofiling, I still use my SG-250 (graded to 220G)
Every 1-2 weeks I clean all my diamond grindstones in my ultrasonic cleaner, then "rinse" them in the ACC-150 solution by mounting it on my T8, then running it through the water trough for a few minutes.
I would recommend getting a combination of SG-250, DC-250, and DF-250. These should cover almost all knives (and scissors) you can throw at it. I chose to use mainly diamond grindstones because I wanted to speed up grit progression by using the same diameter grindstones (and also to sharpen ceramic knives)
Most knives I sharpen with the DF-250 (600G), I barely see the scratch pattern after honing on the LA-220 leather wheel. If you're pursuing a mirror-like finish, then the DE-250 (1200G) would be an economical and practical choice.
I do use my DE-250 (1200G) and SJ-250 (4000G) for commercial chefs (and some customers) who request for it, but that's far and few in between.
Thank you Royale, that is really useful info!
I'll sleep on it and get black when I know.
Thanks to Royale I canceled the order, it didn't make sense.
As an aside, years ago, when I was testing CBN wheels (Diamond wheels had not been introduced then), I tried going directly from my 80 grit CBN wheel to my leather honing wheel with PA-70. After longer honing with full pressure, I achieved a respectable BESS reading of 135 with my chisel. I then sharpened another identical chisel with SG-250 coarse, then fine, then leather honing wheel with PA-70. This produced BESS 100, a noticeable improvement with possibly less wear on the leather wheel. I filed the direct 80 to leather wheel under "possible, but not practical".
Ken