I recently received a Smiths DUALGRIT Diamond Sharpening Stone to test. I’ve taught Knife Sharpening seminars for 22 years and have always used Smiths stones. I’ve always loved their Fine Diamond 2 ½” x 6” stone.
My go-to stone has always been the Smith’s 8” Tri-Hone. It has a Coarse (325), Fine (750), and an Arkansas stone. The Smiths DUALGRIT Diamond Sharpening Stone is 2-sided. The coarse stone is 400, and the Fine side is 1,000.
Smiths DUALGRIT Diamond Sharpening Stone
After using the Smiths DUALGRIT Diamond Sharpening Stone and thinking about its design for a day, I think that I’m really going to like it, and here’s why. I don’t really ever use the Coarse stone on my 8” Tri-hone stone unless I’m conducting a seminar and someone wants me to show them how to get an edge back on a chipped-up or mushroomed blade. The 400 grit on the Smiths 6” Diamond Sharpening Stone is a little less aggressive and will more than suffice for bringing back a rough edge.
And I never thought about it but the 750-grit fine diamond is probably a little coarser than I actually want on my EDC and hunting knives. I want a little finer edge. So, I’m not too sure that the Smiths DUALGRIT Diamond Sharpening Stone fine stone isn’t going to become my go-to stone for my private use.
Live Inventory Price Checker
Smith Consumer Products 4-inch Diamond Sharpening Stone | GrabAGun | $ 11.39 |
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Smiths Products Diamond Tri-Hone Stone Sharpener, Gray - 50380 | Palmetto State Armory | $ 64.99 $ 54.99 |
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Smiths Products Diamond Tri-Hone Stone Sharpener, Gray - 50380 | Palmetto State Armory | $ 64.99 $ 54.99 |
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Spyderco Tri-Angle Diamond Sharpening Stone Pair, Gray - 204D | Palmetto State Armory | $ 95.00 $ 67.99 |
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So, with the above said, let’s get into the nuts and bolts of the stone. The Smiths DUALGRIT Diamond Sharpening Stone is housed in a plastic case. The top pops off to reveal the stone. The bottom segment has a slot for the stone to fit in. it holds the stone elevated about 1-inch which is perfect to hold it in a position so it is easy to use. If you have fat stubby fingers and need it more elevated, no problem. Just snap the base segment onto the top segment and now it is elevated about 1 5/8-inches which should be high enough for anyone. (But due to this feature, they could not put rubber stoppers on the bottom to prevent the stone from sliding while in use).
To use the other side is simple: just lift out the stone and flip it over to use the other desired side. As mentioned above, I do wish that it had rubber feet/cushions on the bottom side so it wouldn’t slide while setting on a table while in use but due to the flip-top design it can’t. With that said, it does have 21 slots on the bottom edge, which enhances your grip so you can hold it steady while in use.
Not only would the Smiths 6” Diamond Sharpening Stone be a good stone for use at home it’d be an awesome stone to have in your hunting/fishing camp. And as light and compact as it is, it would also be a great stone to throw in your backpack for when you’re boning and packing out an elk off the top of a mountain.
In fact, I have an upcoming Texas exotic hunt in three weeks and plan on taking it along as we will be boning out a lot of animals. And then two weeks after that hunt I’ll have a sandhill crane and dove hunt on the 24 Outfitters ranch down by Winners, Texas and will also take it on that hunt.
One thing that I did notice after testing it for a week that I haven’t seen on my other Smiths diamond stones. After use, I washed the surface with warm, soapy water to remove the grey metal dust that accumulates on a stone surface after sharpening a knife. I semi-dried the stone, snapped on the capo, and put it away. A couple of days later, I pulled it out to use and noticed that the surface had rusted. So after you clean the stone, dry it and apply a light layer of oil.
I cannot find a company MSRP, but I saw it for sale online for $34.99 in multiple locations, and as is usual, we will close with the specs.
- The stones are 1 3/4” x 6”
- Set-up dimensions are 1 5/8” x 2 3/8” x 7 3/8”
- Closed dimensions are 1 1/8” x 2 3/8 x 7 3/8”
- Coarse grit is 1,000
- Fine grit is 400
- Material Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
- Color Gray
- .23 lbs.
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
Coarse = 1000 grit, Fine = 400 grit. … Really?!
How do you say “Smith’s” in Cantonese?