Think these diamond stones are a good deal?

[AAvK]

I think the close-up shot makes them look pretty look, maybe they could be used for flattening and hogging off metal or initial sharpening, any opinions?

[AAvK]

... yeah that's better ...

[Dave in Fairfax]

much though.

Dave in Farfax

[Clint]

Are you saying the HF are 3x the price of the eBay ones, or vice versa? $15 for a set of three stones seems pretty cheap... Cheap enough to make me think about finding someone in the States to recieve them for me, and forward them up north.

Cl> > I think the close-up shot makes them look pretty look, maybe they could be

[Unquestionably Confused]

on 5/4/2005 1:25 PM Clint said the following:

Think he means the HF are the cheaper of the two. They BIN price is $45. I bought a set of the Harbor Freight ones, Think I got them for well under $10 on sale. I'm thinking around $7 or $8 which is probably less than the shipping the eBay seller was asking. Mine work just fine.

I don't like a lot of what I see at Harbor Freight but they do have some great deals on items that you could almost consider "disposables."

Sales staff are pretty decent to deal with too. I was going to by some diamond cutoff blades for the Dremel tool and asked for a package of them at $9.99. Clerk opened the showcase for me to take gander and whispered "If you come in here next weekend, we'll have them on sale for $1.99 - more often than not they are on sale for that price. Wait if you can."

I did and bought what's probably a lifetime supply for way less than I'd have spent on the single pack

[Dave in Fairfax]

Clint said the following:

Unquesti> Think he means the HF are the cheaper of the two. They BIN price is

Exactly. The opening bid is more than they cost at HF, tack on shipping and you're WAAY over their real cost. They're worth the HF cost, but I wouldn't pay what it's going to cost you to get them from him. Go over to

and look them up, see what it will cost to buy them their if you realy want them. They don't go very fine, 320 grit IIRC.

Dave in Fairfax

[Joe]

Here's HF's

36799-3VGA Diamond Life 3 PC. 2'' x 6'' DIAMOND HONE BLOCKS $12.99

M1TE&.#=A9 `N`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````0(")'YM8S!AA8M80'C5FS'@U(X@-&5!,S9#1```````XR&@V`UP:#S.: MH0`G`X8)9S+&H8 Q(PZ,&1(``A XD&!!@P$HW(DW8T8-0(WJU8""HY"B237X M0-'CB%Z-&@H(HMX;>D1@U\ M=_;-L#&C'@X9!08:X "$4PH3)F2($N&BA@D4IUSP0&$BQ:X1#00,#,! !C,G MT9Q\,/',2#4C'& P2P&M28*#!P\:Q'#GG9(9,"#=X1>C1@U)>?;-J'$(DAYW M,P041*'"A D.IU+LF('"1*84LDQH2*'*!2@'!@O(@-9$A@QG_RBNI3#!@0T* M:RDJ'#QX\" `!2-@

[Clint]

Damn, we need a HF up here in Canada! :) I'll have to check out some alternate sources up here... My first check (House of Tools) was $45CDN for a set of 3. Lee Valley (and I'm sure these are wonderful stones...) are $45 or more EACH.

Clint

[AAvK]

Nooooooo... the ones on HF are 2"x6", eBay 3"x8", both go to 360 grit DUDE! If I get them on eBay the cost totals to about $25, with handling (HF does charge a seperate handling fee BTW), tax and S/H at HF, maybe $3 less? Either way, anyone buying either is screwed-blued-tatooed and...* no matter what. I bought the big ones.

[AAvK]

$45CDN = $36US currently, considering two shipping payments it won't be cost effective (or barely) unless you have to have the 8"x3" size. To do that you might have to send someone quasi-cash via Paypal, then they do the bidding and recieving and forwarding for you. It would add up to about the same $ I think...

[Dave in Fairfax]

I bow to your superior homework. %-) I was going by what I remembered seeing them for, at the store. They mighta been on sale, 'cause I don't remember them being that much, and I sure didn't measure them. OTOH, I don't have to pay S&H at the store either.

Dave in Fairfax

[Joe]

The difference in the HF size and the eBay size I feel is insignificant. Why would you want to pay 3 x's the price on eBay when there are HF stores all over the country you could go to and save money?

[AAvK]

definitely not

I thought of that after I posted the reply, $12.99 is $12.99. But that 8"x3" size is worth it.

[AAvK]

8"x3" is much better than 6"x2"! And, it is merely twice as much. My nearest HF is 50 minutes drive from my residents.

[Dick]

I got a set from H/F on sale for 8 or 9 dollars and find that the 2 x

6" size are plenty large enough to use on anything I would want to sharpen. I have found that the finest grit size is way to coarse to sharpen anything other than maybe an ax. Dick

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 05 May 2005 04:43:23 GMT, the inscrutable "Dick" spake:

Right, their finest is 320 grit, and that's a stretch from what I hear. I'd buy a set of HFs to flatten a whetstone or quickly grind a new shape on an iron. They're excellent for removing metal. But I'd save my DMT and EZLap plates for real sharpening.

[Hax Planx]

2 x 6 isn't big enough for a card scraper. Gets cramped with a honing guide too. I thought the same thing about the grit numbers. That is three super coarse grits good only for removing nicks or changing a bevel angle.

[AAvK]

Larry sez:

That's the exact common sense I am using. Utilitarian. Basic. The beginning metal work, and flattening stones. 3"x8" is NICE size.

[Art and Diane]

I got the HF version a couple of weeks ago (I think it was $9 or $10). I see there is a mention that one stone is 320 grit. Does anyone know the grits of each by color? It didn't say on the package.

Thanks, Art

Dave >Clint said the following:

[Dave in Fairfax]

snip

The catalog says the progression is: blue coarse 180 yellow Medium 260 red Fine 360

Dave in Fairfax