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why are so many people against using a 1k diamond plate to set a bevel.

why is everyone against this. i mean if you only need to set the bevel 2 times a year at most why is it suggested to not use one? i mean like maybe using it to set the initial bevel on a vintage or when you want a real effortless bevel set?
 
why is everyone against this. i mean if you only need to set the bevel 2 times a year at most why is it suggested to not use one? i mean like maybe using it to set the initial bevel on a vintage or when you want a real effortless bevel set?
This is a general consensus in the razor forums. That doesn't mean nobody uses them though. Try it yourself and see where it takes you.
 
At light pressures, I don't find diamond plates to be faster than comparable-grit waterstones like Shapton Glass. At heavy pressures, they are faster, and leave unbelievably nasty deep scratches.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
As Nelson and @Herrenberg said, diamond plates can chew up an edge and leave a nasty cleanup job. I just don’t use them on razors unless there’s a lot of steel to move, like chip removal or geometry correction.

They also cut very fast, which is why they’re useful for moving a lot of steel quickly. If you’re fairly new to honing, the last thing that you need is something that puts so much wear on a razor so quickly. You can ruin a razor quickly with one.

If you’re set on using a diamond plate to set bevels, try one much finer than 1k.
 
If you want to use a diamond plate, then use one.
A lot of people have, and will, use one for that purpose.
If someone advised you to not do something, it would make the most sense to ask that person why they said what they said.
What person B thinks about what person A said, is irrelevant.
Similarly, what anyone thinks about how you hone is irrelevant.
No matter the subject, someone will agree, others will not. Stirring that pot equates to drama.
Hone, shave, be happy.
 
I've done it many times when working on eBay razors that need to be worked over. Then I will go to a 800 wet stone, then a 1k wet stone. And will most likely need to set the bevel a few times to clean up the mess the diamond plate left if I want to get a clean bevel.

And if you're having to do a bevel set twice a year, you don't have enough razors. LOL. After I do a bevel set I never need to do it again. Never! Unless I drop the razor in the sink.
 
As have been mentioned they tend to cut deep, and might require more work with the next stone in the progression.
My biggest concern is that most of the plates have a few high spots, that can be really difficult to remove. These can leave deeper striations that can show up as chips quite late in the progression.
All diamond plates are not created equal. My vetrified diamond plates do not behave similarly. My finest Venev plate is rated at 0/1 micron. It is also fast enough to set a bevel on a razor.
These plates leaves a really impressive flat and crisp bevel.
 
As have been mentioned they tend to cut deep, and might require more work with the next stone in the progression.
My biggest concern is that most of the plates have a few high spots, that can be really difficult to remove. These can leave deeper striations that can show up as chips quite late in the progression.
All diamond plates are not created equal. My vetrified diamond plates do not behave similarly. My finest Venev plate is rated at 0/1 micron. It is also fast enough to set a bevel on a razor.
These plates leaves a really impressive flat and crisp bevel.
As far as I can tell, when people say "plates," they do not intend to include stones, like your resin-bonded Venevs, vitrified, strange rubbery Nanohone mesh, metallic-bonded stones, etc. I think they just mean the metal plates with a layer of diamond bonded to the surface.

I agree that the stones are very different from plates, and I have used them on razors, though usually only in special cases.
 
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Like everything honing, do what works for you. When i was making razors, i always used a course dtm to set the bevel. But the purpose of that bevel set was to see were the blade needed more grinding. Once i was happy with the hollow i would move to a 1k stone or fine india to reset the bevel. Whatever works.
 
I wouldn't use a diamond plate on nicer/newer razors but would on a gold dollar or an old beater. Rather, I'd use a synthetic of the same grit since it won't leave as much nasty scratches and chips to clean up.
 
I hear the atoma (which are the popular Diamond plates for lapping last I heard), are pretty awful for honing razors on (deep gouges). Can't comment, never tried it.

DMT 1200 (EF) is a fantastic beveler... and unlike my affinity for using the EE (8000) with razors, there's a LOT of people who agree with that.

Some guys just prefer traditional water stones for a myriad of reasons they have. I've tried quite a few and it's not even close. The best water hone I've used isn't HALF as effective as the DMT... for me.


600 (F) is also top tier imho for that grit work (with razors)... but stones are closer to equaling it. The plates below that... eh... I find that they're roughly equal to stones at that level. Not especially good or bad. I keep them around for lapping, not honing. Though I do like the C (325) Interrupted surface (not so much the continuous) with certain knives/tools.
 
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