DMT W6EFC Deluxe Diamond Whetstone Knife Sharpening Kit with Wood Box, Set of 3 Sharpening Stones, 6" x 2"

I usually use water stones, but decided to try this threesome just for the heck of it. I must say, I was impressed. I put a bit of water on the stone, and they seemed to work well even on the first knife (pre-"broken in") After the extra fine stone, the edges seemed so smooth that I didn't even need the sharpening steel to finish it off. The edges seem to be smooth, the knives much sharper than before with little or no mess. For an edge that's REALLY out of shape, the coarse stone is perhaps not coarse enough (or one should use an even coarser product), but I just exercised my arms with a bit more passes and the edge repaired. The wooden box was a bit of a disappointment. First, it would have been nicer with a hinge. Second, the wooden "beds" for the stones were a bit tight, and I gouged them out a bit to let the stones be removed and replaced without struggling. Also, I put a label on the side of each stone to remind me of which grade grit it was--it would have been nice to have that printed on each stone when they arrived. However, the stones work well, the base is thick enough that I can hold them in my hand and retain all ten fingers, and, I must say, they work surprisingly well. (And it seems a pretty good price for a threesome plus a wooden case!!)ADDENDUM: Some months later, I happened to be asked to sharpen a friend's knife block's worth of kitchen knives. I brought this set along and my beloved water stones. I sharpened half of the knives with each. To my surprise, the knives sharped with this DMT set were sharpened as well or better than the ones sharpened with the water stones. Of course, these DMT don't need to be re-flattened or presoaked.I hate to admit it, but this DMT set sharpened as well or better than other methods requiring a lot more trouble and a lot more skill...

After recently acquiring DMT's extra course whetstone, I decided I had to have a more robust set. This thing is priced quite nicely considering you're getting three beautiful stones. Unless you have extreme repairs to make, or ultra ultra fine detail you wish to put on an edge, most people interested in sharpening their blades can probably just pick this up and call it a day.Compared to the tradition japanese wetstones I'm used to using, these things are clean, fast, and very efficient. The course stone is no slouch, so be sure to be careful while using it. It's great for remaking bevels and cleaning up chips and nicks in record time. From there you'll find yourself working through the fine and extra fine stones very quickly. I work in a fairly small, inconvenient area, so these things are great for minimizing messes. Maybe not noise though. As you can imagine, grinding knives on steel and diamond grit is a bit more noisy than sliding one along slurry-covered wetstones.Oh, and my box came in nice and straight. It's lightly oiled to a smooth finish and comfortably fits the stones without cramping them. Although the box does have rubber mounts that keep it from moving around, I recommend investing in a more reliable base that won't be affected by water. Thankfully I got that single extra course stone first, so I can just swap the stones out onto that.I'm very satisfied with this product, I wish I could give it six stars. I'll keep my comfy japanese wetstones around for when I have time to get messy. But for the most part, this will be all I need. Love it.

I've used these stones several times now and they do a very good job of sharpening. I recommend getting the DMT DuoSharp DuoBase to use with these stones as, while DMT claims you can use the box as a base, it's not the easiest way to sharpen and is kinda awkward if you try to do it using the box. The base makes it much easier. The only real complaint I guess I have is that (like another reviewer pointed out), maybe I'm just missing something but I can't find on the stones where their grit; is ID'ed. Apparently, DMT leaves it up to you to figure out which stone is coarser and which is finer. That's doable but it would be a lot nicer if DMT went ahead and provided ID on the stones themselves. In fact, I'd tell you now what color is what grit; but I don't have the stones readily available . . . and I've already forgotten. :-( (LOL) So, I guess I'll hafta figure it out again the next time I need to sharpen something. Oh well. I'm still happy with the purchase and feel that DMT has made a good quality product here.UPDATE: Well, DMT DOES tell you the grit of these stones. Today I just flipped over the paper that came on the cover of the box and on the back of that is listed all of the stones' colors AND their respective grits. DUH!! ;-) So, my only complaint has been negated. These are good sharpening stones and remember that the paper cover DOES HAVE the grits listed on its reverse side. Happy sharpening! :-)

This is an excellent set of sharpeners with a handy wooden container that should last a lifetime.The design eliminates wear spots that you see on corundum stones and maintains a perfectly flat surface for all of your sharpening needs. The three sharpeners do come out of the box easily for surface mounted or handheld sharpening, and have enough edge to grip so that you are unlikely to cut yourself with the blade that you're sharpening.Upon receiving this set, I immediately sharpened an old axe, starting with the coarsest and moving up to the finest, which gave me an excellent edge that is easily maintained. I then sharpened all of the knives in the kitchen. I was able to reshape a straight shaving razor, but even the finest of these three were not fine enough to put a true razor edge on it--you'd need to get an extra extra fine sharpener. That all being said, this set will fit the bill for 98% of your needs, but you may want to add an extra coarse or extra extra fine sharpener if you need to remove a lot of material or need to get a true razor's edge.Top quality, I would definitely purchase this again.