For those of you who use those good quality diamond plates with monocrystalline diamonds stuck o n with nickel electroplate, used for sharpening broadheads, how long will those things last, given the usual frequency of use?

They last a long time, but do tend to become less aggressive over time. One thing that is important is to clean them as they tend to get loaded up. I like to use very hot water and dish soap with a scrub brush and really clean them well. This will being back some of the aggressive nature. Gojo type hand cleaner also works. Hope this helps! Dean

Got one at work over 20 years old. Used every day, but they do need to be cleaned on occasion.

I've got over 35 years on a set of the original DMT 2"x6"medium and fine and they still work fine, they are pretty beat up from bouncing around shops and gang boxes. I bought a 1200 grit on a flat 1/4" stainless steel plate from Lie Nielson and it's the best investment I've made. I use it to finish my snuffers, flat polish the backs of chisels and planes,it is my go to for touch up's for everything. I've got all kinds of sharpening gear, but if I had to choose 1 thing it would be high quality diamond plates. I make a pretty good living doing custom woodworking, and sharp tools are essential. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have.

And Dean is correct on keeping them clean, though I use windex, and an old toothbrush then rinse with water.

The reason diamond hones lose their "aggressiveness" is due to the build up of material between the diamonds. Use a brush and soap and water to keep it clean. Once there is a build up it's hard to clean it out. Frank

Is the DMT brand "good quality"?

I like them because of the differen grits.

Bowmania

I often use mine, and I have at least 3, under running water. I've pretty much quit using them on my Chicago Cutlery butchering and kitchen knives (have about 30) and use one of those cheap side by side wheel devices. They are easy and efficient and the Cutlery knives are fairly soft.

This way I save my diamonds and they will outlast me.

I use Dawn dishwashing soap to lubricate my diamond stones. I believe it helps keep them clean.

DMT makes the best imo.

Personally I've used the DMT brand ( I shave with straight razors so diamond hones are very important to keep them sharp) as we'll as the less expensive ones. And to be totally honest, as long as you keep them clean as mentioned several times here, I don't find enough difference in them to matter.

It's just as important to keep your honing stones clean as well.

As I understand it, there are two basic diamond stones/hones. The most common are adhese-bonded “diamond” stones ( I seem to remember reading someplace that they really are diamonds as we think of diamonds , ie not jewelry diamonds). These type of stones are in the $20-40 range.

The upper end diamond stones are electroplated with embedded diamonds. As the electroplating coating on the embedded diamonds wears, more diamond is exposed, and cuts more. These type of stones are in the $100 range.

This is just a ROUGH differentiation of quality levels. I am sure I am off a bit. I DO remember, the higher-quality, longer-lasting diamond stones/hones are electroplated, and they are multiple times the price of the non-electroplated bonded diamond sharpening stones/hones.

USE PLENTY OF WATER WHEN SHARPENING.

I have had very good results from the ones at Harbor Freight

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