Diamond Machining Technology CS2 12-Inch Ceramic Steel
|
List Price: Our Price: $31.51 You Save: $16.50 (34%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Diamond Machining Technology CS2 12-Inch Ceramic Steel
Customer Review: I like it
Summary: 4 Stars
I like my diamond "steel". Seems to work really well and the 12inch length works for all my knives.Customer Review: Not a bad "Steel."
Summary: 4 Stars
This product is a good option for people with intermediate level knives that come with highly sharpened/polished edges. For example Shun Classics, Messermeisters, or high-end F. Dicks (like the 1905 line).
The way to use this "steel" is to take your already sharp blade, and before each use swipe it 3 times a side (lightly) on this hone. Most of the knives that I mentioned come with a 20 - 15 degree polished edge from the factory. That's what makes them seem sharper than the average wusthof or henkels. So that is about the angle you want to swipe at. That is all that this steel should be used for; to re-align your blade's edge. Remember: the only job a steel/hone like this does is to RE-ALIGN your edge, not to sharpen it - that's what stones are for. To get all technical, yes, this does do some sharpening because it removes metal particles, BUT it is not intended to bring a dull blade to razor sharpness. Nothing is indestructible, and with repeated heavy usage this thing WILL wear down to the metal.
If you use this steel lightly, and frequently with a factory sharp blade like a Messermeister Merdian Elite, a home cook should not have to sharpen his/her edge on a stone for approximately 6 months. The key is to use this before each use, 3 times a side, to remove stray metal particles, polish, and realign your ALREADY (somewhat) sharp edge.
It is white for a reason - so that you can see the buildup of metal particles on the rod. This is a bad thing. Anyone who has experience sharpening knives knows that metal buildup on stones or ceramics = no more sharpening power. With stones a cure for this condition is a Nagura Stone. For ceramic rods the cure for this condition is something called the "Super Eraser." Search for it. If DMT was smart they'd mention this and offer to sell a product like this rather than hype up all their machining technology. What the "Super Eraser" does is to get rid of all those black/silver/shiny metal particles that build up on ceramic honing rods and then restore them to their once snow-white glory. I think they're only a couple bucks on some japanese knife retailers online.
Anyways, like I said, I think this steel is a great companion to high-end german and entry-level japanese knives. Now, with my high-end japanese knives I don't like to use this. Instead I go with Naniwa Chocera Stones, Natural Japanese Stones, HandAmerican Polished Rods, Leather Stropes, etc, etc. Ad infinitum... it's really an endless search for sharpness - but this is a good place to start.
Customer Review: Perfect "steel"
Summary: 5 Stars
The purpose off a "steel" is to straighten out the tiny roll the blade edge develops as you use a sharp knife. This roll is what makes a knife start to feel dull. I've found that using this rod every time before I use the knife makes a terrific difference in how sharp the knife feels and how long the edge lasts.
This is the perfect tool to keep that super edge on your fine knives. A couple of very light (just enough presure to keep contact) strokes per side, at a shade more than the angle use to sharpen the blade, and that edge is straight and ready to glide through your food.
Customer Review: Sharpened my knives
Summary: 4 Stars
Knives get dull with use. This fella keeps em sharp so I don't have to push hard enough to cause an accident.
My only beef is that the coating on the ceramics, whatever that may be, is white. The knives turn the color either dark, near black, or silver. It seems that the area becomes smoother too. Perhaps this is embeded metal on the sharpener or it is removed sharpening agent, white stuff. I don't know, but it seems to continue to sharpen even with color change.
I only use it for my personal knives, which started out sharp. I have tried it on my parents decades old knives, but was unable to achieve a uniform sharp edge in a short period of time. However, it did sharpen them, but I grew impatient and thought they should have more metal removed faster to get a uniform layer.
I think this sharpener is priced fair or just a little high for its quality.
Customer Review: Sharpening for Dummies
Summary: 5 Stars
No offense, but if you are experienced in creating and maintaining a sharp cutting edge, you don't need this review. Just buy it!
If not, here is what you need to know. This tool doesn't sharpen, it hones. And if you hone your knives regularly, you may never, or rarely, need to sharpen them.
Sharpening is the process of creating a new cutting edge; honing refines or restores that edge. In my opinion the steel and diamond tools are sharpening tools and not very good ones. Graduated sharpening stones, or a professional, do a much better job.
I have a set of Katana knives which is over five years old and, with one exception, have never been sharpened, but are all razor sharp. They are honed regularly with a DMT ceramic rod. (The one exception arose as a result of some ill-advised hacking at a unseen bone, which produced large nicks.)
Try this. Take an ordinary butter knife and hold it facing away from you so that a light source will reflect off the blade. (I use the light in a range hood.) As you rotate the knife so that the light reflects off the edge you will see a broad band of reflected light. Dull knife, no cutting edge.
Now do the same thing with your sharpest knife. If it is sharp, you will not be able to see the edge. If you see localized bright spots, it needs to be honed, and this tool is what I would use. If it has large nicks, or it looks like the butter knife, it needs sharpening. Here, a diamond rod may work if nicks are not too large, but it feels to me like a crude way to do something which should be rather precise.
I chose this product primarily for the 12" length, which is helpful for longer knives. After several years of use and occasional cleaning to remove steel dust I am still very happy with its performance.