Customer Reviews for Diamond Machining Technology CS2 12-Inch Ceramic Steel

Diamond Machining Technology CS2 12-Inch Ceramic Steel
by DMT

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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Diamond Machining Technology CS2 12-Inch Ceramic Steel

Customer Review: Ceramic Steel
Summary: 5 Stars

This is a great tool. I've had smaller steels and metal steels, but this one really cuts a great edge in no time.

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: 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: A good value for the $
Summary: 4 Stars

The ceramic sharpening steel is just the right size if you have a 10" or 12" knife as well as anything smaller. It has a well designed hand guard for safety. It does seem a little coarser than I would have liked and the ceramic is actually a thin coating over an aluminum rod(beware of chipping it). It is deceptively sturdy and has held up quite well for several weeks of use now. Over all it makes short work of reshaping the edge of a dull knife and will take the edge to a good, sharp, working edge, but I find a smoother, polished edge lasts much longer. Overall I am pleased and feel it is an effective "sharpening rod" and a good value for the price.