DMT FWFC DuoSharp Double-Sided Diamond Sharpening Stone for Knives and More, 8-Inch, Fine/Coarse, White

You know, I did quite a bit of research before I purchased this little dandy. I read the reviews of all the stones, the various diamond sharpeners, the whole bit. Additionally, I looked into the "guides" and anything else to simplify the sharpening process. By no means am I a knife/survive in the wild/kill a tiger just by looking at it kind of guy. However, this sharpener was easy, fast, and efficient.If you have questions about appropriate technique, look up a youtube video or check on the dmt website--easy as cake, and a blade as sharp as you could need. I purchased the coarse/fine one (red & blue), but I figure I'll pick up the extra fine some time down the road. Now, for the breakdown:Pros:1) Compact--the sharpener folds into the handles (which you already know, by now)and it's double sided.2) Effective--a gently, consistent motion gets you blade just where you need it. The instructions with this sharpener state that it should only be used for camping/hunting knives, etc., but I took the kitchen knives to task. A couple of them were so dull that I could run them across my finger with no consequences. Now, I don't dare. The knives cut through paper and cut tomatoes (and other veggie sundries) with ease. Just maintain a consistent angle and motion, and you should be fine. Not rocket science.3) Efficient--My kitchen knives took a bit longer (for the reason, see #2), but everything that had a reasonable edge took less than 2-3 minutes. If your knives are real garbage you may want to start with the extra coarse, but I'm too cheap right now. Time was a factor, and this beauty delivered.Cons:1) On the coarse side, the diamond coating was missing along one small section of the edge. I know, I know, it really doesn't matter in the least, but I'm just kind of particular like that.That's it. Ecstatic about my purchase, will never look for another sharpener! Good luck!

I got this file to touch up the edge of the cutting tools I use when I am turning wooden bowls on my lathe. With this file I can get the edges nice and sharp and don't have to sharpen them on the grinding wheel as often. That saves me time and does not wear out my cutting tool as quickly. Note: You shouldn't expect to eliminate the use of the grinding wheel completely. You will just be using the grinding wheel less often.

I received this product at about 15:00 today and am writing this review at 22:00 because, we'll, it's blown me away. Up until this point in my life I've used oil and wet stones and thought that Japanese wet stones were the best thing out there. Then one day Amazon recommends this product to me, and looking to lighten my pack a little by replacing a small stone and steel, I thought what the heck I'll give it a try. I ended up touching up my skinning knife, ax, kitchen knife, and even went over to my brothers to do his knives. What used to take my 10-15 minutes on a wet stone is taking me 5 minutes, including stropping with an old belt. In that amount of time my knives push cut paper, which is easy, and shave like never before. I'll typically hold off to write a review to see how it holds up, but after 5 blades and no signs of deformity on the sharpener I couldn't wait to share my thoughts.This sharpener is built extremely well, and you can tell that the individuals that produce it take a lot of care to insure they put out a good product. The handle of the sharpener, which folds around the stone part to protect it, is made from a light weight plastic and is held in place by 2 pins. This is the only piece that I could see failing, but honestly aside from throwing it while open it will more than likely hold up.This is a fantastic product that makes sharpening quick and easy. I only wish I didn't throw this in my "wish list" 6 months ago due to me being skeptical of how well it would work. I will purchase this product again if needed, and in the meantime I'm going to be purchasing the Coarse/Extra Coarse for blades that need to be reshaped. Great Product DMT!

I have sharpened my own blades for years and own a Lansky kit which is getting a bit old but still has some useful life. I have several good-sized old rectangular stones but its been so long I've forgotten where I got them and who made them.I selected a diamond sharpener as I found they work best on some stainless steel alloys I've encountered. I don't ordinarily use a diamond on anything else as it tends to remove metal more aggressively than stones/ceramic and the diamond sharpeners tend to wear out rather quickly. But admittedly diamond types do the job faster than stones.This is a replacement for my last diamond sharpener, which of course wore out.I've already given this item a preliminary workout by sharpening a stainless blade that was surprisingly hard and giving my Lanskys too much of a workout, but the edge was almost done. It took a bit of sweat and patience but the DMT performed well and now that tough stainless blade is a hair splitter.I then used this DMT on some other knives for a quick, couple of swipes edge touch-up.This DMT fits the bill. The handle fold conveniently and protects the sharpener surface when not in use, but when deployed offers a good size hand grip. I have no worry about the durability of the plastic, it will probably outlast the diamond.The sharpener rectangle is good enough size for small to large blades although I wouldn't use this for machetes, axes or even a CS Laredo. For blades that big I'll use something else.Because the two sides offered are Fine and Extra-Fine, this sharpener is primarily relegated to light touch-up. I have only two tests to determine if my blades are sharp to my satisfaction. 1) the ease of shaving hair; and 2) the thumbnail test.I like this product and do recommend it. I'm just curious on how long the diamond will last.