It's interesting to see how our ideas and goals change over time. I remember watching the old Murray, who would use the high spots and go for max usage not wanting to wear the stone prematurely. While it's commendable I will agree that it does save time and wear and tear on the joints lapping your stones periodically. You should do more videos like these Murray, they're more down to earth and enjoyable then the Infomercial style videos. I have taken some of your techniques and knowledge and blended it with mine and my sharpening results are far past satisfactory. Thank you!
Good message and I could not agree more Murray. I’ve got a few years on you, but to me, diamonds are among those abrasives that have been sent from heaven to enjoy more time do stuff we like to do. Whether that’s getting the reprofile or repair serviceable sooner or getting your stones in better shape and flatter faster than powder on glass or granite or whatever else, diamonds are the sharpeners best friend. Keep cranking Murray!
Originally Murray's change of opinion on sharpening philosophy was a bit of a disappointment to me as I was always a big fan of his idea that skill is more important than equipment and this felt to me as a selling out for profit. But this video convinced me that he hasn't changed and he honestly feels this (Nanohone) is a better way. Will he make a bit of money off of this? More than likely. I don't have issue with this. And even though I do have a king 1K and 6K I rarely use them as I have stones I enjoy more. But I can still get excellent results with them. And I'm sure the Nanohone stones are excellent as well. I feel the whole "system" is too much for me to spend and I don't need it. But it clearly has merit. I guess all that to say that I'm back on Carter Cutlery's side and this video seemed much more honest than some of the other promotional videos lately
You have taught me so much about the 'whole' aspects of sharpening. I 'was' going to buy a jig after only getting less that perfect results from my 4 Japanese whetstones...and I thought what would Murray advise me to do and that would be to practice & persist. I have everything I need to do my knives well. And I'm getting there.
A few years ago I purchased Murray Carter's DVD on basic sharpening techniques. It was the best investment I ever made for my development as a knife sharpener. We all evolve into our own sharpening styles over time, but there must be principles guiding that evolution. Murray's DVD provided me with those basic principles. I highly recommend his basic course if you are struggling to create that perfect edge, or even if you are experienced but want to take yourself to the next level. Forrest
Well justified! You are standing behind excellency by teaming up with nano hone. And it's perfectly understandable, or even encouraged for a craftsman/artist to chase after excellency regardless of the cost. That's part of the reason why people are willing to drop hundreds of dollars to get your knifes. But many of your audiences were drawn to you by your selfless sharing, especially on your sharpening philosophy and techniques. These sharing inspired us that with perseverance and focus we can reach excellency in sharpening without spending too much money on the equipment. The king stone sale on your website is put in a way that you'll discontinue importing them from Japan. This, at least to me, is a gesture of abandoning your old sharpening philosophy, and a stop on looking after the best value for a chunk of your customers. Maybe this is just my misinterpretation on the sale. But I do believe the king stones will never compete directly to nano hone products, because they are targeting on different customer groups. On the contrary, keeping them on the website may interest people on trying nano hone products, at least those diamond plates.
Thank you for your continued effort in education in all things knife! Having been a recent convert to Japanese stones (3 yrs) your flattening lap works well. Good luck on the new line 😃
Murray Carter can change his sharpening philosophy whenever he likes. To remain the same regardless of gaining more knowledge and experience would make one ignorant. One of the best Diamond plate systems is Tsuboman Atoma plates. Buy one grit on an aluminum base (the standard) and a replacement sheet in another grit to stick on the other side and you have a dual grit Diamond plate for both flattening and conditioning waterstones, and sharpening high carbide steels…if you use them. I bought Atomas to use as flatteners but ended up using them more to sharpen high carbide steels. Great Japan made quality - better than DMT, IMO - and decent value for money. The Shapton Diamond Glass Lapping Plate is also very high quality and does a fantastic job but it’s also very expensive, though far cheaper than the Shapton Kubo DRLP. I don’t use that on any stones under JIS#1000 just to prolong its life. Atoma are fantastic Diamond abrasives and are very well respected in the Japanese industry.
Flat stones are also important for sharpening blades with katahas. It also creates a more even and harmonious surface on secondary bevels of regular knives- I find I get a better polish over all if I have recently straightened my stones.
I feel that trying to sharpen on a dished stone takes away from the enjoyment because it requires a great deal of attention/expertise to knock down high areas as a new sharpener. I couldnt agree with this video more.
Faster and cheaper to buy a new King 1000 stone when the old one gets out of spec, and use a King nagura to touch up your stone as you go. Saves more time and money than an overpriced Nanohone diamond plate. Also, DMT and Atoma can easily match any product from Nanohone at a lower price. Atoma/DMT have much more established track records with users of all levels.
Hey murray (or anyone who knows) if im using a diamond flattening plate on 1000 grit ceramic stone, do i need to follow up with another 1000 grit stone or nagura stone to remove and grooves or scratches left by the low grit flattening plate?
If it’s a slight bit of concaveness/hollow then I don’t care too much unless I’m sharpening a scandi or something I want to be crazy sharp and perfect. If it’s a huge hollow then I will flatten it
Them lapping plates are sooo expensive. Still yet to pull the trigger on one, really close though. I use concrete steps in my garden with loads of water, a bit cowboy but does the job. Quite slow though, and only a couple of times a year
Nothing cuts faster than water stones, not even a Diamond plate, trust me, I’ve used em all (just about..) nothings faster. A good Diamond lapping plate is the fastest/best way to flatten and keep your fast cutting water stones in good condition
@@TylrVncnt Yep. Diamonds will cut anything but that doesn’t mean they’re fastest. Providing you’re using a regular steel then a Norton Oil stone is faster than Diamond plates. In the very coarse grits (#100-#400 range) Oil stones are the fastest in my experience. I haven’t used CBN so I won’t include that. All have their place.
Damn Murray Carter sold out for real, remember when he said you don't need to flatten your stones. Now buying a 200$ + diamond plate makes sense. Love Murray Carter though
Couldn't agree more, I have been hand sharpening for more than 30 years, started when I was 12. I have never flattened a stone in my life, unless it's chipped. But then using another stone to lightly flatten it. I wouldn't pay over 200$ for a diamond plate. I have a Naniwa diamond plate for flattening which I was given by a seller to test out and review, but the review wasn't very positive. And if he has ground 100 000 blades in 28 years that comes out to 3571 blades per year. It sounds a bit high to me. I have lots of respect for Murray, but sometimes, certain things doesn't add up.
Yeah this is disappointing. He tries to justify it but it's pretty clear this is him trying to sell these plates. Unfortunate although I understand it.
I dont really know this guy, but to be fair he seemed to say you dont actually need it, and even sidewalk with bucket of water is enough, but this is just faster. Then again 200 dollars is over prized, but i guess if its proper "professional" thing yeah they tend to cost what ever the product is. For example its kinda like complaining he is selling his knives although average person to cook in home pretty much could just go to flea market buy some vintage cheap knife with few bucks, and just clean the rust, and so on. If i would use these fast reduced stones i would just buy some cheap diamond thing if i want to be fast smoothing them. To me personally pocket sharpening stones, and ceramic rods outside of serious edge damage when i just use super cheap rough bench stone to fix it faster is enough at least how i use knives.
I wanna also add that I’m not sure to what spec the Trend is actually flat, tho I’ve heard it’s pretty flat, whereas the Nano Hone is absolutely flat to a very high degree, and no second thought need be given about that aspect
@@RydersRiverRed yes i understand that. I have myself emailed nano hone on trying out some of there products on my channel but got no reply. Im always interested in trying better gear as i have tried shapton glass and really liked that also shapton pro and naniwa professional and natural stones and such its always fun to test and find better and better products that are really well thought out. Looks really clever the nano hone base where the stones just fits right in no screws or anything just pop it in and start sharpening.
@@knifesharpeningnorway I am a 10 year full time edge maker. I have a collection of stones that exceeds a thousand individual stones and plates and slurries. I was an exclusive user of Shapton Pro series stones, and my lapping plate was the Diamond on Glass plate. Went through 1 every two years. I've used the Norton stones to flatten, problem becomes when the norton stones go out of flat? Or the dmt dia-flat with a full surface of diamond stuff. A lapping plate cuts stones not on the surface, but the edges of the diamond cut. Nano-hone maximizes the edge-area to maximize cutting. Once the stone being lapped is flat, the surface of the NanoHone will create surface topography that increases the cut performance of the stone. I've used everything there is. My nano hone lapping plates have flattened diamond slurry stones, natural, cintered ceramic, soft fired ceramic, aluminum based waterstones, silicone, carbide, you name it. My stones after lapping with the various lapping plates from NanoHone cut better, sharpen and establish edges more quickly and efficiently, and stay flatter longer because the stone starts out flatter.
@@knifesharpeningnorway I'm guessing you're in Norway based on your tag line? If you're ever in NYC for any reason, let's meet. I'd love to show you my collection and let you play with the various tools yourself.
I think there is a happy middle ground here. For stones that are as soft as the King stones, one of the ultra-cheap, ultra-hard SiC stones is more than capable of flattening them in a very time-efficient manner. There is no point in spending more on a diamond plate to flatten your stones than the stones themselves.
I'm a Murray Carter fan plain and simple and anyone can change their philosophy on anything they choose but he'll always be a king stone man!
Murray's Humility is outstanding and exemplary, he is always willing to admit if he was wrong or found a better way.
Way to go Murray
We got a diamond 225 grit stone we use as a lapping plate for our king stones. also certainly saves time sharpening when an edge is really damaged.
It's interesting to see how our ideas and goals change over time. I remember watching the old Murray, who would use the high spots and go for max usage not wanting to wear the stone prematurely. While it's commendable I will agree that it does save time and wear and tear on the joints lapping your stones periodically. You should do more videos like these Murray, they're more down to earth and enjoyable then the Infomercial style videos.
I have taken some of your techniques and knowledge and blended it with mine and my sharpening results are far past satisfactory. Thank you!
Good message and I could not agree more Murray. I’ve got a few years on you, but to me, diamonds are among those abrasives that have been sent from heaven to enjoy more time do stuff we like to do. Whether that’s getting the reprofile or repair serviceable sooner or getting your stones in better shape and flatter faster than powder on glass or granite or whatever else, diamonds are the sharpeners best friend. Keep cranking Murray!
Originally Murray's change of opinion on sharpening philosophy was a bit of a disappointment to me as I was always a big fan of his idea that skill is more important than equipment and this felt to me as a selling out for profit. But this video convinced me that he hasn't changed and he honestly feels this (Nanohone) is a better way. Will he make a bit of money off of this? More than likely. I don't have issue with this. And even though I do have a king 1K and 6K I rarely use them as I have stones I enjoy more. But I can still get excellent results with them. And I'm sure the Nanohone stones are excellent as well. I feel the whole "system" is too much for me to spend and I don't need it. But it clearly has merit. I guess all that to say that I'm back on Carter Cutlery's side and this video seemed much more honest than some of the other promotional videos lately
Very interesting master class advice. Thanks!
You have taught me so much about the 'whole' aspects of sharpening. I 'was' going to buy a jig after only getting less that perfect results from my 4 Japanese whetstones...and I thought what would Murray advise me to do and that would be to practice & persist. I have everything I need to do my knives well. And I'm getting there.
A few years ago I purchased Murray Carter's DVD on basic sharpening techniques. It was the best investment I ever made for my development as a knife sharpener. We all evolve into our own sharpening styles over time, but there must be principles guiding that evolution. Murray's DVD provided me with those basic principles. I highly recommend his basic course if you are struggling to create that perfect edge, or even if you are experienced but want to take yourself to the next level. Forrest
far more educational than a purely sharpening lesson: we see here the display of virtue, of someone dedicated to the cause of truth
That doesn’t even make sense.
Well justified! You are standing behind excellency by teaming up with nano hone. And it's perfectly understandable, or even encouraged for a craftsman/artist to chase after excellency regardless of the cost. That's part of the reason why people are willing to drop hundreds of dollars to get your knifes. But many of your audiences were drawn to you by your selfless sharing, especially on your sharpening philosophy and techniques. These sharing inspired us that with perseverance and focus we can reach excellency in sharpening without spending too much money on the equipment. The king stone sale on your website is put in a way that you'll discontinue importing them from Japan. This, at least to me, is a gesture of abandoning your old sharpening philosophy, and a stop on looking after the best value for a chunk of your customers. Maybe this is just my misinterpretation on the sale. But I do believe the king stones will never compete directly to nano hone products, because they are targeting on different customer groups. On the contrary, keeping them on the website may interest people on trying nano hone products, at least those diamond plates.
Thank you for your continued effort in education in all things knife! Having been a recent convert to Japanese stones (3 yrs) your flattening lap works well. Good luck on the new line 😃
After being against flatting stones his whole life, Murray finally saw the light
Murray Carter can change his sharpening philosophy whenever he likes. To remain the same regardless of gaining more knowledge and experience would make one ignorant.
One of the best Diamond plate systems is Tsuboman Atoma plates. Buy one grit on an aluminum base (the standard) and a replacement sheet in another grit to stick on the other side and you have a dual grit Diamond plate for both flattening and conditioning waterstones, and sharpening high carbide steels…if you use them.
I bought Atomas to use as flatteners but ended up using them more to sharpen high carbide steels. Great Japan made quality - better than DMT, IMO - and decent value for money.
The Shapton Diamond Glass Lapping Plate is also very high quality and does a fantastic job but it’s also very expensive, though far cheaper than the Shapton Kubo DRLP. I don’t use that on any stones under JIS#1000 just to prolong its life.
Atoma are fantastic Diamond abrasives and are very well respected in the Japanese industry.
Flat stones are also important for sharpening blades with katahas. It also creates a more even and harmonious surface on secondary bevels of regular knives- I find I get a better polish over all if I have recently straightened my stones.
I feel that trying to sharpen on a dished stone takes away from the enjoyment because it requires a great deal of attention/expertise to knock down high areas as a new sharpener. I couldnt agree with this video more.
Faster and cheaper to buy a new King 1000 stone when the old one gets out of spec, and use a King nagura to touch up your stone as you go. Saves more time and money than an overpriced Nanohone diamond plate. Also, DMT and Atoma can easily match any product from Nanohone at a lower price. Atoma/DMT have much more established track records with users of all levels.
finally murray flatten his stone xD BTW flattening stone are great!
i like this man
Hey murray (or anyone who knows) if im using a diamond flattening plate on 1000 grit ceramic stone, do i need to follow up with another 1000 grit stone or nagura stone to remove and grooves or scratches left by the low grit flattening plate?
If it’s a slight bit of concaveness/hollow then I don’t care too much unless I’m sharpening a scandi or something I want to be crazy sharp and perfect. If it’s a huge hollow then I will flatten it
Them lapping plates are sooo expensive. Still yet to pull the trigger on one, really close though.
I use concrete steps in my garden with loads of water, a bit cowboy but does the job. Quite slow though, and only a couple of times a year
I would ask to you : why don't to use directly the diamond plates to sharpening your tools instead wet stones, to maximize the time?
Nothing cuts faster than water stones, not even a Diamond plate, trust me, I’ve used em all (just about..) nothings faster. A good Diamond lapping plate is the fastest/best way to flatten and keep your fast cutting water stones in good condition
@@TylrVncnt Yep. Diamonds will cut anything but that doesn’t mean they’re fastest. Providing you’re using a regular steel then a Norton Oil stone is faster than Diamond plates. In the very coarse grits (#100-#400 range) Oil stones are the fastest in my experience. I haven’t used CBN so I won’t include that.
All have their place.
My only issue with this system is price. It's hard to justify the extra money for Nano hone products when there are so many competitors out there.
Damn Murray Carter sold out for real, remember when he said you don't need to flatten your stones. Now buying a 200$ + diamond plate makes sense. Love Murray Carter though
Couldn't agree more, I have been hand sharpening for more than 30 years, started when I was 12. I have never flattened a stone in my life, unless it's chipped. But then using another stone to lightly flatten it. I wouldn't pay over 200$ for a diamond plate. I have a Naniwa diamond plate for flattening which I was given by a seller to test out and review, but the review wasn't very positive. And if he has ground 100 000 blades in 28 years that comes out to 3571 blades per year. It sounds a bit high to me. I have lots of respect for Murray, but sometimes, certain things doesn't add up.
Yeah this is disappointing. He tries to justify it but it's pretty clear this is him trying to sell these plates. Unfortunate although I understand it.
I dont really know this guy, but to be fair he seemed to say you dont actually need it, and even sidewalk with bucket of water is enough, but this is just faster. Then again 200 dollars is over prized, but i guess if its proper "professional" thing yeah they tend to cost what ever the product is. For example its kinda like complaining he is selling his knives although average person to cook in home pretty much could just go to flea market buy some vintage cheap knife with few bucks, and just clean the rust, and so on. If i would use these fast reduced stones i would just buy some cheap diamond thing if i want to be fast smoothing them. To me personally pocket sharpening stones, and ceramic rods outside of serious edge damage when i just use super cheap rough bench stone to fix it faster is enough at least how i use knives.
Can the Trend 300 grit monocrytalline sharpening stone be used as a flattening stone?
Yes absolutely. Won’t be as fast as a coarser one (like the nano hone shown here) but it will absolutely flatten your stones
I wanna also add that I’m not sure to what spec the Trend is actually flat, tho I’ve heard it’s pretty flat, whereas the Nano Hone is absolutely flat to a very high degree, and no second thought need be given about that aspect
Outstanding Murray!
Christ Bless!
Better than the atoma 140?
@@RydersRiverRed yes i understand that. I have myself emailed nano hone on trying out some of there products on my channel but got no reply. Im always interested in trying better gear as i have tried shapton glass and really liked that also shapton pro and naniwa professional and natural stones and such its always fun to test and find better and better products that are really well thought out. Looks really clever the nano hone base where the stones just fits right in no screws or anything just pop it in and start sharpening.
Oh hell yeah.
@@CECS1 may i ask why you think that? And i reckon you have tried both? On what stones have you tried them?
@@knifesharpeningnorway I am a 10 year full time edge maker. I have a collection of stones that exceeds a thousand individual stones and plates and slurries. I was an exclusive user of Shapton Pro series stones, and my lapping plate was the Diamond on Glass plate. Went through 1 every two years. I've used the Norton stones to flatten, problem becomes when the norton stones go out of flat? Or the dmt dia-flat with a full surface of diamond stuff.
A lapping plate cuts stones not on the surface, but the edges of the diamond cut. Nano-hone maximizes the edge-area to maximize cutting. Once the stone being lapped is flat, the surface of the NanoHone will create surface topography that increases the cut performance of the stone.
I've used everything there is. My nano hone lapping plates have flattened diamond slurry stones, natural, cintered ceramic, soft fired ceramic, aluminum based waterstones, silicone, carbide, you name it. My stones after lapping with the various lapping plates from NanoHone cut better, sharpen and establish edges more quickly and efficiently, and stay flatter longer because the stone starts out flatter.
@@knifesharpeningnorway I'm guessing you're in Norway based on your tag line? If you're ever in NYC for any reason, let's meet. I'd love to show you my collection and let you play with the various tools yourself.
What brand and or style of flattening plate is that?
That is a Nano Hone lapping plate! --Cait
Just curious who the 11 jokers were who down voted Murray Carter when it comes to sharpening haha
Infomercial....?
I think there is a happy middle ground here. For stones that are as soft as the King stones, one of the ultra-cheap, ultra-hard SiC stones is more than capable of flattening them in a very time-efficient manner. There is no point in spending more on a diamond plate to flatten your stones than the stones themselves.
are you really 50 seem to me you look 49
Disappointing but understandable. Can't represent a product line and not push their products. Too bad
You’re wrong, they make great products
if time is important for you why are you using kingstones ? ..the slowest softest messiest stones ever.
smokin Joe he uses nanohone now. And soft stones have their merits.
@@kappablanca5192 i like soft stones when they are fast or polish well....kings are soft and slow.
smokin Joe not all of them, the king hyper is apparently pretty good
50 to 80 dollars for a stone? I wish. LOL