Faithfull Diamond sharpening Stone - Anyone used one?

[MrDavidRoberts]

I want to purchase a new sharpening stone, I have never used the diamond ones before so have no experience with them.
I found this from faithfull https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-Tool ... B015JMIPP0
Personally I have mixed experience with faithfull tools, some have been ok,some have been very bad so not sure what to think about this one.

I see it's quite popular so maybe anyone has bought one and used for prolonged time periods?
What's the quality of it like? What kind of sharpening loads is it able to handle for how long? If it lasts only a few months,than I'm not really sure if it's worth it since once the diamonds are gone the tool has no use unlike with traditional stones.
I will use it to sharpen plane blades and the grit choice 400/1000 seems very good on it.

Oh if someone has much better stone suggestion for not a lot more than I'm all ears

 

[Droogs]

Never used them but ITS has ultex one which I've found to be very good. There are several threads on here about them but the search facility doesn't appear to have been updated to the new api

 

[MattRoberts]

I have that faithful one. It's not bad, appears to be pretty flat, however after a while, I had a niggling feeling like it was losing its abrasiveness.

I've since switched to the scary sharp method using a sheet of tempered glass, which I find much better

 

[bugbear]

Lidl do cheaper ones which might suit you.

BugBear

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

Lidl do cheaper ones which might suit you.

BugBear

It really gets old after the first few times...

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

I have that faithful one. It's not bad, appears to be pretty flat, however after a while, I had a niggling feeling like it was losing its abrasiveness.

I've since switched to the scary sharp method using a sheet of tempered glass, which I find much better

I'm currently using the scary sharp as well on a tile however having to throw away so much sandpaper bothers me and its quite messy.

was it the case of settling down or just flat-out loosing its effectiveness as I read somewhere that most of the diamond stones become not so harsh after the first few uses but than they stay the same for a long time? I'm not really trusting those amazon reviews as they are left immediately after the item gets delivered and used a few times, for such items a review should be left after a year of usage.

 

[MattRoberts]

I'm still on the first sheets of sandpaper - it had waterproof backing, so it's quite strong.

Can't tell with the stone - it just felt like it was taking ages to sharpen (especially when trying to flatten backs & soles).

The fact that it's raised is handy though, especially for router bits

 

[ED65]

There are many diamond plates now available from various vendors on ebay and directly from sellers in China via AliExpress, with a few previous threads on the subject here from the last year or two that include links. They're worth hunting down because every one of the ones recommended is far cheaper than the Faithfull you link to, but with no holder.

If you just want to dip a toe in the water with diamonds I'd get something that's under a fiver and go from there so if you don't like working on them (some people don't, I don't know why) you're out a minimal amount.

 

[Ttrees]

There's like, a half price sale on the Ultex stones at the moment.
It ends this Monday!

https://www.its.co.uk/Misc/Ultex-Diamon ... 2147483647

Tom

 

[Brian18741]

I have the Ultex stones from ITS. 300g, 600g and 1200g. I think I paid under £40 including delivery. I find them great to be honest. Finish with a strop and you get an extremely sharp edge.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

For those who have had the Ultex stones, how long have you had them for?
How is the overall quality and feel of them?
Considering them as I found someone in this forum had mentioned that they saw the exact same Faithfull stones WITH Faithfull markings On the chinese Aliexpress yeah.. that doesn't sounds good..

 

[transatlantic]

I'm also enjoying the sandpaper/glass plate method. I have found that even the cheap Titan wet/dry (only use this on the pull stroke) stuff works very well, but that only goes up to about 1200. Hermes do up to 2500, and you can find wet/dry on ebay/amazon up to 7000. Or go with the proper lapping/honing stuff by 3m. The Hermes and the 3M stuff is self adhesive. I haven't found a good way to attach the wet and dry stuff yet. I was hoping it would stick with the water, but it just rolls up. I have some adhesive spray on order, but I don't hold high hopes as I think it's going to slip once it gets wet.

Admittedly, in the long run, it is going to probably work out more expensive, but for the weekend woodworker, I think it's a great option, especially for beginners. Arguably much less of a hassle than water stones which need constant flattening and are more messy.

My current setup is

- 1000 Hermes
- 2500 Hermes
- 7000 3M
- Strop

Works good enough for me.

 

[Brian18741]

For those who have had the Ultex stones, how long have you had them for?
How is the overall quality and feel of them?
Considering them as I found someone in this forum had mentioned that they saw the exact same Faithfull stones WITH Faithfull markings On the chinese Aliexpress yeah.. that doesn't sounds good..

As per my PM, I've given these stones a fair go most weekends over the last year. They cut as well as ever and are very flat. They're also very heavy, giving them a good premium feel in the hand. For under £40 you can't go wrong!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

 

[Bm101]

Custard did a favourable review on ultex (search custard ultex). He reviewed them against far more expensive diamonds. Dmt's from memory. When someone of Custards form gives advice I tend to listen. Check they are flat before unwrapping and you're good to go. If they are still on sale you've had a touch.

 

[Bodgers]

I want to purchase a new sharpening stone, I have never used the diamond ones before so have no experience with them.
I found this from faithfull https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-Tool ... B015JMIPP0
Personally I have mixed experience with faithfull tools, some have been ok,some have been very bad so not sure what to think about this one.

I see it's quite popular so maybe anyone has bought one and used for prolonged time periods?
What's the quality of it like? What kind of sharpening loads is it able to handle for how long? If it lasts only a few months,than I'm not really sure if it's worth it since once the diamonds are gone the tool has no use unlike with traditional stones.
I will use it to sharpen plane blades and the grit choice 400/1000 seems very good on it.

Oh if someone has much better stone suggestion for not a lot more than I'm all ears

I have the faithful one and is excellent - particularly if you are using it to keep water stones flat. I am no hand tool expert, but it is flat and effective. The same unit is basically sold with different branding at wildly varying prices...

This is the exact one I have:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-Tool ... B015JMIPP0

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[54Strat]

I use the Ultex ones, same set up as Brian18741 but use a 6000g water stone before stropping (only because I bought it beforehand and need to justify the cost).

I've found them excellent, though you do need to make sure they're cleaned and dried properly as they can get spots of rust on them. They come with a padded case, but the material insides of these stick to the plates making them hard to get in and out of so I wrap the plates with a fold of thin card.

[Edit] Just checked the ITS site, they're only £10 each. Wish I'd waited.

 

[RossJarvis]

I have the coarse Ultex diamond stone (300/600), very good price and I find it excellent for flattening my water-stones...........................................snigger.................

 

[Bodgers]

Interesting. The Ultex diamond stones look identical to the Faithful one - the hash pattern, the font and the holder etc