Diamond Machining Technology (DMT) 8-in. DuoSharp Plus Bench Stone Whetstone Extra Fine/Fine Grit Diamond Sharpening Stone with Base (WM8EF-WB)

The DMT WM8EF-WB 8-Inch DuoSharp Plus Bench Stone (Extra Fine/Fine With Base) is an outstanding value at $55.While some might find that price to be high, keep in mind that you're getting a large 3" x 8" double-sided diamond sharpener (one side is fine 600-grit for all around sharpening, the other is extra fine 1200-grit for getting your blades to a razor sharp edge). Unlike natural stones, the polymer base also won't deform. It stays perfectly flat over time. And the sharpening goes MUCH faster. 10 swipes on this stone is roughly equivalent to about 50 swipes on an Arkansas stone. Not only do you save time and energy, but it's much easier to maintain a very consistent blade angle (crucial to effective sharpening) for 10 strokes than it is for 50.This model includes the robust plastic base as well. The stone snaps into the base very snugly (no looseness) and the wide feet provide for a very stable platform while sharpening. For added security, you can fasten the base to a workbench or other large surface. However, I found the base stable enough on its own to be perfectly serviceable on a kitchen countertop. It would be nice if the base had grippy rubberized feet to reduce slippage on smooth surfaces for those like me who don't want to permanently affix it to a workbench, but if you brace one end of the base against something (such as the edge of the sink or the stove) and draw the knife in that direction, it works fine and won't slip.I've used this stone to sharpen everything from my smallest Swiss Army blade (2" stainless) up to my Ka-Bar/Becker BK7 blade (7" 1095 cro-van steel). Sharpening a large 7" knife on this stone is very easy. The general rule of thumb is that your stone should be at least as long as your blade, so if you have knife blades longer than 8", you may want to spend more for the 10-inch version of this stone (which at the time of this review, is inexplicably listed at nearly three times the price!?). For my needs, the 8 inch stone is plenty long.There's nothing to complain about with regard to the quality and functionality of this product. It's first rate and will do a very good job sharpening your knives, assuming you take time to learn the proper technique. Throw in an old belt with sharpening compound for stropping, and you will have the tools to put a scary sharp edge on most any knife.The only shortcoming I notice with this product is the ambiguity of the stone in determining which side is fine (600-grit) and which extra fine (1200-grit). As it turns out, it is color coded by a small circle at one end of the stone, which then can be cross-compared with a list on the packaging to determine the grit. But it's strange to me that they didn't just stamp "600-grit" and "1200-grit" on the respective sides instead of the color-coding--which would be clearer and more convenient. I simply wrote the proper grit (with an appropriately pointed arrow) on either side of the stone in permanent black ink. Technically, you can tell by feel as well. Regardless, some people are sure to be inexperienced and inadvertently use the extra fine side to initially sharpen a very dull blade, and then will get dismayed by the slowness. The fine (600-grit) side will restore a fairly dull blade very quickly, however, and is probably the best "general purpose" grit for knives. For quick blade touch ups, you could skip using the extra fine side altogether unless you really need to get your blades shaving sharp or just enjoy bringing the edge up to a more polished look.All in all, this is a great product and well worth the price. Sure, natural stone sets with comparable grits can be had for half as much money, but they require more effort and care, and thus, introduce more room for error. This is your best bet for faster, superb sharpening results. If idiot-proof convenience is your priority, you may prefer a pull-through sharpener. However, keep in mind that those kind will not put nearly as nice or as long-lasting of an edge on your knives. They are convenient thought. In my opinion, a diamond stone like this one is the best way to do it right.[UPDATE 4-1-2014: I've been using this sharpener a lot for a month and a half now and it is the best diamond sharpener I've ever owned. It works very quickly on every blade and steel I've tried, and can take a blade from very dull to very sharp in only a few dozen strokes. The trick is to keep the sharpening angle consistent for each stroke (I sharpen at 21 degrees for wilderness knives, and about 17 degrees for kitchen knives), and apply the right amount of pressure as you stroke. Once you get a feel for it, this sharpener works superbly.]

I own a lot of expensive knives: Kitchen and hunting. Knives that were razor sharp when new and over time they were anything but. I have tried Arkansas stones, ceramic rods, and many other sharpening systems and tools. Nothing is a good as the DMT bench. One side is red and one is green. The red takes a not sharp (but not abused) blade and hones it first. Maybe 5 to 6 passes per side. Then you move to the green to take the sharpening to a new level with 3-5 passes per side. Almost like new. A dull knife takes maybe 3 minutes to sharpen. An "almost" sharp refresh, using only the green side, takes about a minute. I can do the whole kitchen rack of 15 knives (refresh only) in 30 minutes.Success for me relied on two things: the correct angle and the correct pressure per pass. I used the recommended "lay two quarters on top of one another" in the manual to get the feel of the angle. Once I got the feel I don't use them anymore. Initially I was putting about the amount of force I used to use with sharpening stones. It was too much. Now I used just enough pressure to keep the knife on the surface (either red or green). And by that I mean almost no pressure. If you have a kitchen scale I find about 1-2 oz of pressure works best for me. Any more than that and I just hone off good steel. It seems I use less pressure each time and the diamond surface works perfectly. I expect to get even better and the knives even sharper.This sharpening system is definitely worth the price. Highly recommended. Use it for two weeks and relegate your old systems to your favorite charitable donation site.Note: I also use the DMT 12" Diamond Steel between sharpenings. (see my separate review). I use it while paring and carving AND to sharpen my serated bread knife. I can now slice warm bread again.Update 2/3/13 Tried the fine/extra fine stones on three no longer used knives. I suspect we stopped using them because they were so dull. The fine/extra fine really couldn't set a new edge (they were too far gone). So I picked up up a second stone (Extra Course (black) / Course (blue)to use with my original base. I went to work on the knives starting with the extra coarse to see if I could resurrect my lost causes. Six passes on each side first with the black and then six passes per side with the blue and a new edge was set (1 knife needed 4 more each side with the black). Now all three are in the every-other-week rotation for fine tuning edges. Maybe I could have worked at using the fine/extra fine (aka red and green) but I decided to do it right. Plus I intend to begin working on my shop tools (planes, chisels, etc) and these will get work there.Granted these are not inexpensive tools. But, both bench stones and the base set me back roughly the cost of just one of my knives: a 10" Global chef.

Would have got 5 stars if it wasnt looking so dirty and the holder was working as designed . Thqt being said it did aharpen a rather dull Kitchen knife fast to a great edge. Quality control would have sorted out the other concerns if it was more stringent.