My experience so far with the new 600 Eze-lap Diamond, Med Spyderco, and UF Spyderco

[Fred Bryant]

I just finish one of those marathon sharpening sessions. All planes, chisel, knifes ( marking and kitchen ), ...

Thoughts, experiences, questions:

1) Although they can be used dry, they seem to work better with a little water and a couple of drops of dawn, or a splash of simple green. Both concoctions seem to be the same in washing swarf off.

2) The UF stone, which was flatten on one side with a 250 Eze-Lap diamond stone, then followed by a 600 Eze-lap diamond stone gives an usable edge right off the stone, but the edge does a little better with some stropping ( I am using the back of the belt I am wearing at the moment ). The exception is kitchen knives; they tend to work best straight off the medium stone. Not sure why, but it is what it is. Both sides of the UF stone, flattened and not flattened tend to cut the same. The un-flattened side has manufacturing marks that do not seem to bother anything except a few small pointed tools and my two gravers. I think I am just going to use the flattened side.

3) The medium stone, was also was flatten on one side with a 250 Eze-Lap diamond stone and then followed by a 600 Eze-lap diamond stone. The un-flattened side works great for kitchen knives straight from the stone. This side also cuts quicker than one will imagine. Now I might have screwed up the flattened side. It cuts significantly slower and finer that the un-flattened side. It is close to that of the UF stone. You can feel this difference in surface texture between both sides of the stone with you fingers. I tried to flatten it again with just the 250 Eze-Lap diamond stone and no change in the surface or cutting. Now I could just be faking myself out, and the un-flatten side of the stone will wear into the same surface as the flattened side. Thoughts?

4) The one addition I am planning on getting at this point is a block of maple, with some leather glued to it, and some type of compound. Otherwise I am sure the system will be fine when I get some more time under the belt. I am a wee bit disappointed with the flattened medium stone and would like something that cut a little faster.

5) The Eze-Lap 600 diamond stone has a bit of a hump in it. I am really not sure it matters, but there should be a way of stretching the metal on the bottom side and removing it. Thoughts?

I appreciate all the help.

Thx's, Fred.

[Matthew N. Masail]

Hi Fred, I can't say about the spyderco but is your eze-lap new? If so and the hump is on the diamond side, I would return it. it's not worth a thing for flattening if it's not flat. for bevel work it should be fine but I wouldn't touch it with a blade back either.

[Reinis Kanders]

My ezlap 600 also has a hump. I only thought to check a year later.
My medium spyderco was clogged and would not cut fast, I lapped it with DMT xx coarse and now it cuts fast. Maybe give yours a nice scrubbing wash. I was dry lapping it and frequently cleaned both stones with vacuum.

[george wilson]

Kitchen knives cut best right off my Atoma diamond stone,which I bought from a member here used. The tiny serrated edge that the diamond stone leaves is great for cutting food as it is really a super fine saw. No need to get the knives truly razor sharp for food.

[Darren Brewster]

How do you find the Atoma as a sharpening stone? I have only used mine for flattening waterstones.

I have a DMT that has a hump just like your EZE-lap. Wore out quickly as well. I was brand new to woodworking and didn't know at the time that that wasn't how they should be.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Kitchen knives cut best right off my Atoma diamond stone,which I bought from a member here used. The tiny serrated edge that the diamond stone leaves is great for cutting food as it is really a super fine saw. No need to get the knives truly razor sharp for food.

How true, George. I sharpen all my kitchen knives @ 1,000 grit. I concur that a food blade should have a little tooth to it. Japanese chef's knives, and sushi in particular are different in that razor sharp approaches good enough. That being said, I keep a strop handy for in between touch ups. My favorite blade right now is a 1970's Sabatier high carbon steel that I rediscovered in my old chef's toolbox. It stains just looking at it, and rust jumps on it like nobody's business, but dang, it sure does hold an edge.

[Allan Speers]

How do you find the Atoma as a sharpening stone? I have only used mine for flattening waterstones.

I have a DMT that has a hump just like your EZE-lap. Wore out quickly as well. I was brand new to woodworking and didn't know at the time that that wasn't how they should be.

I'm using the Atoma 400 for my 3 Spydercos, and I'm totally happy with the results.


Caveat: I've had the Spydercos for less than a year, and haven't needed to do much flattening. One thing I can say for pretty sure is that you don't need any finer grit for the sharpening stone, it just has to be FLAT. In fact, I suspect that using 400 instead of 60 helps the waste escape as you flatten. Again, though, I haven't tried a 600 with these stones, so I don't know for sure.

[Mike Holbrook]

I bought a set of Spyderco triangular stones sometime in the mid to late 70's. I have sharpened all my kitchen, pocket...knives, and many of the knives of family members with them. I use them just about every day, sometimes I touch up tools with curved blades with them. Someone asked a couple of years ago if I had never tried cleaning them, so I took a tooth brush and powdered sink cleaner to them. If it made a difference it wasn't enough for me to tell and I have not done anything to them since. I do not see any wear, even on the corners, which I often use on serrated blades or blades that are just a little slow getting sharp. I bought medium and UF 2x8" Spydercos back when George posted his positive results with them. There are grinding marks in those stone surfaces that collect more steel, become darker. I have not taken the time to try to work the marks in the 2x8" stones out. They seem to handle the follow up work from my CBN wheels just fine like they are, even when they show very dark curved grinding lines. I don't see much difference between the F triangular stone and the UF flat stone. Green LV buffing compound on an MDF block may work a little faster for me.

[Patrick Chase]

The exception is kitchen knives; they tend to work best straight off the medium stone. Not sure why, but it is what it is.

This is actually the conventional wisdom for most kitchen knives - they work better with a bit of roughness or "tooth", and the easiest way to get that is to stop at #1000 or so.

It depends on the intended use though - sushi knives are typically honed to a very fine edge for example.

[george wilson]

I made our kitchen knives from large,solid HSS power hacksaw blades. The solid HSS ones are a lot harder to find than the common ones with just the teeth,and ONLY the teeth,welded on. Osha likes them better as they have soft steel bodies,and won't shatter.

If you THINK you have a solid HSS one,try filing the back edge with a fine file. If it files,the blade is not solid HSS,and will not make exceptional knives. I haven't sharpened our HSS bread knife in about 20 years. It cuts like nothing else!

However,since I got the Atoma,I've gotten into the habit of using the Japanese kitchen knife with about a 5" blade from LV. It has stainless steel sides laminated to a 1/64" thick high carbon center core. It was about $29.00 when I bought it. A very great knife. Sharpens quicker than the HSS knives on the Atoma. My wife likes to use it,but a month ago she cut 1/16" off the end of a finger with the Japanese knife. It will fill in. She is a craftsman herself(started out in the Book Bindery in Williamsburg,so she's not afraid of a sharp knife. I taught her how to sharpen when we first met,as well as the other members of that shop. Edges must be razor sharp to skive leather paper thin. They used to use those little pot metal hobby planes that took razor blades,but decided to make their shop more authentic many years ago.