Ultex diamond stones offer

[Dokkodo]

Following a recent discussion of diamond stones, I was browsing the options. As usual when researching this sort of thing, google searches tended to bring me back here. Found a thread on Ultex diamond stones, seemed fairly favourably reviewed.

I then found them going for silly money at ITS. They are 8" x 3", come in four grades (300 600 1000 1200) and are being sold at 16.99 each or two for 17.99! So you can get all four, with delivery, for 43 quid or something. They even come with individual velrco pouches and anti slip backing things.

Dont know how they will stand up to the test of of time but thats pretty decent. Be interested to hear from any long term users. I checked mine against a straight edge and all but the 300 were good, the 300 being slightly cupped.

Only thing was I couldnt find tech spec, but if they are monocrystiline then im chuffed.

 

[Tasky]

I got mine from ITS, right before they went on sale for a tenner each.
Got one coarse/medium double-sided at about 300/600 and a separate fine one at 1200. Only one came with a non-slip mat though, but I plan on sinking them into a bench hook anyways.

 

[ED65]

I then found them going for silly money at ITS. They are 8" x 3", come in four grades (300 600 1000 1200) and are being sold at 16.99 each or two for 17.99! So you can get all four, with delivery, for 43 quid or something. They even come with individual velrco pouches and anti slip backing things.

Dont know how they will stand up to the test of of time but thats pretty decent.

It is or it isn't depending on what you compare to. You can set yourself up with a progression of six or seven plates (if you wanted to go ludicrously overboard :-D ) for less than the price of one of those.

The going rate for inexpensive diamond plates has been set, and it's less than a fiver each. Quite a bit less than a fiver in fact.

 

[Dokkodo]

Ah, ok then! How embarrassing (hammer)

I suppose I was duped because these are the same format (8 x 3, thick plate) as the more expensive ones.

Either way, cheap arent they... !

 

[Ttrees]

You can't get a hone bonded to a nickel plated steel plate for less than a tenner on sale though
Can you?
I would definitely want at least one hone bonded to the nickel plate, for cap iron work
If one was using exclusively diamond hones.
On the last cap I worked on, I chose to stack my thin ones onto my expensive nickel plate one
as ones 400g so fairly quick at removal, restacking them to finish...
I like resting the end of the blade on a surface like a honing guide (kinda)


Recently enough I realised, that I hadn't enough under cutting/honing done to the underside of the cap iron.
I was afraid to overdo it, so I just snuck up on it for quite a while, undercutting a few more degrees
to eventually end up with none to little dust between the iron and the cap iron.

I had never experienced anything getting trapped between them, before I learned how to set the cap iron.
and I had it close before (I thought :roll: )

Tom

 

[fezman]

i've found the ultex ones to be fine. much better than the £3ish ones ED65 seems to be referring to. So i wouldn't worry about your choices Dokkodo.

I use a 300 then 1000 then 1200 , followed by 2500 Hermes film from axminster. Sharp enough for me!

 

[ED65]

i've found the ultex ones to be fine. much better than the £3ish ones ED65 seems to be referring to.

Well I have no complaints about any of my cheapo plates. I couldn't ask them to work better or have lasted better (my oldest are well past ten at this stage) so I'm perfectly happy to plug them as solid options.

I know there are other happy users of similar cheapie plates here too, ref. this thread.

 

[Biliphuster]

I bought an Ultex 300 maybe a year ago. So far no complaints, very fast material removal (compared to a course Norton India) and seems to have held up well to occasional use on steel and occasional lapping of other stones.

Mine has a slight hollow in it, which makes it undesirable for flattening backs but great for flattening stones.

For the price, I really don't think you can go far wrong.

 

[Dokkodo]

didnt mean to start any fisticuffs, just point out a decent deal!

I have a couple of the thin ones you talk of as well ED65, 2000 and 3000, stuck down to a bit of granite worktop from the stone masons skip round the corner. Handy, that skip. Dont often remember (or need) to use them though, just got them because they were so very cheap.

 

[Tasky]

I use a 300 then 100 then 1200

Not the 100 then 300??
I must be missing something... :?

 

[ED65]

didnt mean to start any fisticuffs, just point out a decent deal!

Oh it hasn't descended into one of those sharpening debates so I think we're grand

 

[fezman]

I use a 300 then 100 then 1200

Not the 100 then 300??
I must be missing something... :?

excuse my fat fingers Tasky - that should be 300 - 1000 - 1200 then the film (hammer) (hammer)

 

[Racers]

Mine arrived today, chunky beasts!

I went for 300 and 1200, should be good for flattening blades.

Pete

 

[memzey]

If you had to get a combination one for kitchen knives which would you pick?

 

[ED65]

Get a steel, a decent one, for ongoing edge maintenance memzey. Best way to keep up the edges of kitchen knives.

 

[memzey]

I’ve got a steel but you can’t rely on that method every time as eventually you still need to hone the edge. So - what combination of grits would folks use for that (from the Ultex range)?

 

[fezman]

I’ve got a steel but you can’t rely on that method every time as eventually you still need to hone the edge. So - what combination of grits would folks use for that (from the Ultex range)?

Hi Memzey - I made something similar to one of these - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2YzzR660r8 - my kitchen knives (Global) have never been sharper. It also resurrected some old knives i had too.

 

[memzey]

Clever gadget Fez but seems a bit much for sharpening a few knives. Just had a check and it seems that the combo stones aren’t on offer anyway.

 

[Droogs]

I’ve got a steel but you can’t rely on that method every time as eventually you still need to hone the edge. So - what combination of grits would folks use for that (from the Ultex range)?

I have 2 Ultex plates - a 300/600 and a 1000/1200. If i feel I need a finer edge than that I have a 3000/8000 waterstone I got off Amazon for £13 that was being sold for doing kitchen knives. If I want to go mental I have a strop and a bar each of green, brown, and white polishing compunds for metal polishing

 

[fezman]

Clever gadget Fez but seems a bit much for sharpening a few knives. Just had a check and it seems that the combo stones aren’t on offer anyway.

I use wet and dry down to 1200 grit, then a strip of the hermes 2500 film on that gadget - not the ultex stones. Works a treat and I got to make it into the bargain ;-)