Customer Reviews

Smith's DCS4 4" FINE & COARSE Diamond Combo Sharpening Stones

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This set is a really handy set for the outdoorsman. It is small, lightweight, well-made, and has features that are perfect for keeping your items sharp in the field. The stones are stored into the handle until needed saving space in your pack, tacklebox, or glovebox. The stones snap in securely and after several months of use the halves still snap together securely. The handle has a rubberized coating for a better grip and has a lanyard hole so you can hang it from your pack or neck. The surfaces are perfect for a wide variety of sharpening options. The majority of the surface is a perforated diamond surface to help prevent clogging, but it has a small solid area for sharpening small items & blades that may get hung up in the holes. There is also a fishhook sharpening slot. These features are on both sides. The "coarse" side is very aggressive, which you probably won't use much around the house, but is perfect for knives and tools that get hard use outdoors and lose their edge. The "fine" side puts a very nice edge on your items that is more than suitable for most cutting needs. It is also a perfect size that gives enough surface for sharpening even large knives & tools, but not too large to make it difficult to carry. Even after months of use, this set still works great. For an all-in-one compact system, it's perfect.

One point some folks need to know, if you plan on just using this to keep kitchen knives sharp, this may not be the best one to buy. The coarse side is very coarse, so if you keep your knives reasonably sharp, you will probably never use it. You would be better served getting a set of stones that are "Fine" and "Very Fine" since those will keep household knives razor sharp.

For an all-in-one sharpening set for the outdoor sportsman, this can't be beat!

What else is there to say? I've had this particular one for years and have used it quite regularly on my knife and many other blades. The most impressive would be that I have for years now, sharpened box cutter style blades to extend their life. To put it into perspective the fact I can put an almost scalpel like edge to high carbon steel for years; with the same tool and stay nearly as good as new without deforming is amazing. I also like the small solid spot for sharpening small things like ¼ chisels or one of the various exacto knife tips. The small grove in it is perfect for sharpening fish hooks and stitching needles.

Diamond stones are the only way to go if your not a traditionalist.

I think this is a useful and practical sharpener, but tends to be a jack of all trades: It offers flexibility but doesn't do one thing exceedingly well. Here are some observations based on my experience:

Pros:

Combination of Coarseness: I like that this tool comes with both a coarse and fine stone. I have various knives and blades in various conditions: Sometimes a fine stone is just not enough to bring back a neglected edge to where it should be and I find the coarse stone is just what I need. While I think the descriptions are reasonably accurate, this stone does take a learning curve to master. Initially, both sides act coarser than they should be, as the diamonds break and wear to a more consistent surface. It will seem, then, that it quickly loses its effectiveness, when in reality it is just breaking in.

Utility: On both sides of the stones, there is a flat patch for very small blades, which is nice. There is also a groove on both stones for sharpening points of, say, fish hooks or needles. I'm not sure how often I'll be sharpening my fish hooks, but it's a thoughtful feature. The cover turns around to form a handle and, though made of plastic, it has held up well and doesn't allow the stone to shift when sharpening. Unlike a more traditional stone meant to sit flat on a surface, this one is best held at an angle, keeping the tip held on a surface with the handle. This is how I've been using it and find that works best for me. The relatively small size of this sharpener requires a different technique than having a large stone to work on, using both hands on the blade, when the stone sits on a flat surface. Overall, this stone is able to sharpen a broad range of edges, whether on knives, wood carving tools, etc.

Effectiveness: I have found this stone to be effective sharpening a range of tools, from my high carbon kitchen knives, to my EDC folder, to my stainless multitool blades. It works, and I've been happy with it.

Cons:

Size: I'm not sure this is a con, but I find this tool somewhat awkward to use. Ideally, I prefer sharpening my tools, whatever they are, in the comfort of my shop, using both hands, on a large stone. With this, you just can't do that. Ah, you say, it's not meant for that! True... but I find myself, more often than not, sharpening my knives back at home after backpacking or camping, rather than on site where I can't do as good a job at it. I like its versatility and I do think it works really well. It's just that... this usually isn't the one I reach for. Would I use this one when I'm at home versus the larger stones on my bench? No. Would I take this one backpacking? No, because I'd be going into the back country with sharp blades to begin with and I'm certainly not going to carry something this heavy unless it's essential. Would I keep it in my truck? Mmmmm.... maybe, but 9 out of 10 times I'd be bringing my blades back home to sharpen anyway. Would I want this if I had to bug out due to zombie attack? Well, of course I would!!! But that hasn't happened yet and I'm starting to wonder if it will...

Other Thoughts:

This is a good quality, multi-purpose, compact sharpener at a pretty decent value. There are plenty of purists out there who would howl at the thought of allowing their blades to touch anything but crazy-expensive exotic water stones. Whatever. Unless you've just dropped your (or your kid's) college tuition on a blade that will never, ever be used for fear of getting a nick on the edge, this sharpener will work just fine and will give you a decent-to-near-scalpel edge if you use it properly. (with or without stropping for you edge geeks)

The question is, is this the right tool for you? Personally, I find myself reaching for the stones that are dedicated to my bench top most often, and so this one ends up living in my camping gear. If you are short on space, though, or find yourself with a more portable lifestyle, this sharpener may be for you. Four stars for a quality sharpener at a great price.

Pros: easy to store, very light weight, easy to clean, wet and dry sharpener, definitely sharpens your knives very well.

Cons: Ummm...still thinking of one.

Make it easy to use it any time. Especially when I'm bored.

I work with knives in sailor's ropework, and am the one who keeps the home kitchen knives sharp. Having used one for over a year now, this product is my favorite for it's effectiveness (the diamond stones are the quickest hand sharpeners I've used), and convenience. The handle/guard attaches securely and allows the stone to rattle around in a kitchen drawer or ditty bag without damaging itself or other tools or utinsels. The price is very reasonable, and I also like that Smith's is an American company, so the profits support jobs and taxes at home. This is not what I would call a pocket-sized model, so I keep a smaller sharpener with my backpacking gear. A minor "con" for some users: This is not an automatic-angle device, the user must judge the angle at which to hone their blade, but it doesn't take long to learn that technique. This is a "Plus" if you want to sharpen different devices with different honing angles.

I used a sharpening stone like this for 4 years. I had to give it to my father when he tried it last summer, so I got me another one.
If used carefully and with good knives it will provide you a very sharp edge on them. I use it for our Henckels and Victorinox pocket knives.
Highly recommended for camping or/and home.

I bought this with the expectation that it would be better to manually sharpen my kitchen and folding knives, rather than use ceramic V shaped easy sharpeners. This product is only 4 inches long, so, while you can sharpen kitchen knives, you'll have to pull the knives across it too much, and this is not it's best purpose. I think this is best served for hunting knives with softer steel; and for those who take extended hunting and camping trips. A solid portable sharpener.

I tried to sharpen my Ontario RAT 1 folder with this sharpener. My blade is made of AUS 8 (mid grade steel); the blade had lost some edge after cutting and breaking down a very big, and thick card board box. The fine side of this stone really didn't do much to the blade (after hundreds of strokes with varying pressure; also cleaned the sharpener too). However, the coarse side did the best with about 20 strokes per side. I like my knives to shave arm hair (easily); I cannot achieve ARM shave sharp easily with this sharpener (not with an AUS 8 blade). My RAT 1 will shave a little bit, but the edge feels a bit burred. The fine side is a little bit too fine (if you ask me). Or, perhaps, the coarse, is just a little bit too coarse. Also, this sharpener will scratch up your blades in a hurry. Don't use this thing on your nice folders; I recommend a Lansky Crock sticks 4 turn, or Spyderco sharpmaker for nice knives.
Those sharpeners will sharpen at the perfect angles, and it's hard to scratch up your blades when the angle is already set for you.

On the good, this sharpener leaves a very usable edge with use of the coarse side; for most of your utility and hunting knife purposes. If your an edge geek like me, I think there are better offerings out there (Croc Sticks, or Spyderco Edgmaker). However, this little sharpener is more portable than those; less expensive too. so, it's best for secondary use (my opinion).

This product far exceeded my expectations. I have struggled to find a combination stone with just the right grit mix. This one is it. The coarse removes metal rapidly, while the fine is actually fine enough to complete the process properly. I have found nothing in this price range that works as well. Also, the handle design seems superior to the plastic folding handles on some of the DMT products I own. It is wider and more stable, and allows for more stability during sharpening. All that is needed to finish the process is either a strop or a Japanese stone to polish the edge. I used this product on both Shun and Henkles chef knives, as well as several Mora and Benchmade knifes. While I wound up ordering the larger 6 inch benchstones to make longer knives easier to sharpen with a consistent angle, I was amazed at the quality of edge I was able to produce with just this product alone. As someone who long struggled with the sharpening process, I was thrilled with the success I found using this product.

I have sharpened two pocket knives with this excellent outdoor tool. They both have straight edge blades. The knives were somewhat dull so I just used the coarse side of the sharpener first. Maybe just 4 to 5 runs 2 to 3 times on each side of the knives and it was ready for the fine side. I did another run of 4 shaves 2 to 3 times with the fine side and the knives could have been used for surgery. I also used water on the diamond stones as I sharpened the blades and just kept an equal, even angle while I shaved on the stones. The tool is such a great value and I believe with the proper use and care of it, it should last a long time. The handle is the storage case and is made of a durable rubber. I was very impressed with how easy it was to use and how well it sharpened my knives. My knives are pocket knives and the people who are using this tool for kitchen knives are just being cheap and ridiculous. Smith's has made a tool here to sharpen pocket knives. Also there is a grove on both sides for sharpening your fish hooks and sewing needles. Its an outdoor tool and not for a kitchen. The industrial diamonds on the two sides are an excellent use of technology for sharpening your pocket knives. Its a great deal from Amazon.com and anyone who is outdoors with work that uses pocket knives should have this.

This sharpener works, and is handy, but is a little small to effectively sharpen a knife. It's probably best for touching up in the field. It's just kind of awkward to run the whole blade across the surface, but it has no problem actually sharpening the knife.