Venev OCB Diamond Waterstones

This is a review of Venev’s OCB Diamond Waterstones. The video documents several sharpenings with the stones and has discussion on the performance.

[@steeltoez8345]

I'm personally holding out for Shawn's stone to come out later this year. The passion he has for his craft is remarkable. Probably more cost efficient to buy this setup of Stones instead. I can financially afford both but not everyone can. These videos are extremely helpful getting unbiased reviews. Now the community has options across the board for every bracket of financial situation. Thanks for the vid Michael, folks like me appreciate this type of content.

[@gabrielcr78]

What stones are those? Mind sharing a link?

[@timtiesflies]

thank you for all the time and effort you put into these vids michael, top notch content.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Timothy Jenson thank you.

[@glockgaston2922]

BBB regrind is amazing!! Great results from the plates!!! Thanks for sharing brother!!!

[@dmontes4192]

Thanks for the reView !

[@jacobpannell9652]

Thank you for your time.

[@jamesmiller360]

Good review, I'll have to check them out. Thanks.

[@michaelchristy4982]

James Miller thank you

[@JDStone20]

Nice video Michael! It is a shame Venev had the problem with the binder on the finer stones, I bought one on the small pocket stones, 3u and 1u, and the 3u side left a finer finish than the 1u side. Nice that you got a BBB regrind! Shawn has some serious skills, and a great perspective on knives and knife performance, along with a great attitude towards steels, and he uses a bunch of different steels. I really like you perspective also, on sharpening and steels, along with you skill at sharpening. It seems that people are starting to appreciate high sharpness and thin grinds.

[@stefanwolf88]

Best sharpening channel. I wish I had your patience and maticules approach. You and Cliff Stamp are my to go resources for sharpening knowledge.

[@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531]

Stefan Wolf if your going to cliff for advice might as well give up man

[@valebliz]

I just have the 1x6 series and they are fine by me, cool to see you have a positive evaluation of theese. Might consider them.

[@michaelchristy4982]

valebliz I heard that they were having QC issues at one point and corrected the issue. I know I didn’t need to flatten these stones.

[@matrix5175]

You might look at the Sabitoru rust erasers on amazon too. I bet they would clean those stones well as I use them to clean my waterstones and they work great! They are very inexpensive too, a 2 pack with a medium and fine eraser cost around $12. Love your videos man!

[@crf450rbulletdavid9]

Good to see you, reground knives are addicting.

[@PaulK390S90V]

Since getting these stones too I was able to sharpen my buddies s110v para 2 successfully which was a big deal for me. I did k390 next both hair whittling ...I mean not quite your hair whittling yet but getting there!

[@michaelchristy4982]

Paul Lonardo right on.

[@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531]

Good video man. May check out some of these

[@michaelchristy4982]

Rough Rooster Knife Sharpening right on, brother. Very nice stones.

[@user-if4cn9ev4d]

Your channel is really the best channel on sharpening I've seen on youtube,thank's for making these amazing videos man!Can you please recommend anywhere else to learn more about sharpening?Is there any books or forum or other sources that you think is good for learning sharpening?

[@michaelchristy4982]

Brian thank you. Jef Jewel, Big Brown Bear, Cliff Stamp all have great channels on sharpening here on KZbin.

[@georgeyoung4292]

@@michaelchristy4982 But you always push things to extreme..

[@SteveKluver]

Thank you much, Michael. I love seeing these new stones come to market, and we can all thank Konstantin for that. As far as I'm concerned. Gritomatic, is at the top of the game. Personally, my main focus here though, when watching this video. Is not whether Venev bonded diamonds stones are good or not, or are being improved. Or, if they have a place in our future. They certainly do, and certainly are being improved. I love how Gritomatic pushes us forward. These Venev OCB bonded diamond stones, are proof of that. The 1" x 6" Venev OCB F800 and F1200, are available now, for us system guys. My focus, and head scratching this morning. Comes from the 'F' printed on these stones. I think sometimes, that Konstantin likes to drive me crazy on purpose! : - ) He has just fairly recently, gotten most products switched over the the 'J' grit scale. Which I am 100% behind, and love that he has been doing this. Now, I see an 'F' on a new product. I have to scratch my head. Maybe his manufacturing partner, has just not been convinced to make the switch yet? Maybe I don't know, that 'Bonded' stones dictate this designation? All of my head scratching though, could be considered in vain. Since thankfully, we do have the Micron size being printed, and used here.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Steve Kluver since it may make a difference, given your questions, it took me a while to do and post this review. It’s possible Konstantin made the change since he sent me these stones.

[@cp1532]

Venev stones use the FEPA-F grit rating system. Typically we think of grit ratings on the JIS scale, which is what is used to denote Japanese waterstone grit ratings. They are two different languages. So 400 in FEPA-F has no correlation to 400 JIS, like how J makes a different sound in English than it does in Spanish. Google "grit conversion chart".

[@SteveKluver]

Thank you, @@michaelchristy4982. I've got am email off to him now.

[@SteveKluver]

Thank you, @@cp1532. Yes, you're right, and many of us know that. It's a good reminder though. My point, is that so many of us, and Gritomatic/Konstantin, have been working so hard on. Is to get most of this world, switched over to 'J' (JIS), and I find this new OCB being marked 'F', surprising. I've got the conversion chart here on my shop wall, and use it often. Some of us just dream of the day though. That everything stone, is either marked in 'J', or Micron, or both! : - ) It's likely due, to possibly. Some of the older diamond stones not yet having switched over to 'J', and they didn't want to cause some confusion, to those earlier buyers. When looking at this newer OCB. I got an email sent off yesterday, and I'll hear back about this soon.

[@cp1532]

Ah, I must have missed the last paragraph of your original comment. I agree, a universal, or agreed upon grit rating system is the way to go. Or just abrasive size in microns. Grit ratings are just a guess otherwise, right? I'm ok with manufactures including a grit rating since factors other than abrasive size can affect the resulting finish, but the abrasive size should be noted along with it.

[@mikeritter2979]

thanks for the video I feel like a better sharpener just by watching you

[@jeffersonhenn1086]

In my case, I feel like I have a lot to learn...

[@mikeritter2979]

Jefferson Henn I wasn’t talking to you go fuck yourself

[@jeffersonhenn1086]

@@mikeritter2979 You're on a open forum JACKASS!!!!

[@jeffersonhenn1086]

I know I'm a little late with my comment, but wanted to use these stones on a lot of different steel, before commenting on them and now that I have, I think they are great. Since I have tried these Venev stones, I hardly use my Shapton Glass any more.. Also, i use them on both soft and hard steel, with no problem with loading, or anything else..

[@ddurnell1]

Great video man, very good review. Just curious, are you going to get the sprint run carbon fiber Shaman in s90v when it releases?

[@michaelchristy4982]

Devin Durnell thanks. Whether or not I get the Shaman will be directly related to how much extra money is in my bank account when it comes out.

[@ddurnell1]

@@michaelchristy4982 I hear that!

[@tcj2185]

Have you tried venev’s newest ratio? They now have a 100%, 50%, and 25% binder mix. Konstatine said the 25% is on par with the edge pro matrix stones polishing wise. Thanks for all your vids btw, they are by far the best.

[@michaelchristy4982]

TC J I have tried the new ratio’s. Just what was sent that I’ve featured in videos and on IG.

[@barkingspider2007]

Michael,. Looking for diamond stones for a TSPROF Blitz 360. 1x6 format. The Edge Pro diamond matrix are just under twice the cost. Have you got an opinion on the Edge Pro diamond matrix stones? The Venev Orion series look like a good choice. I hate to buy the stones twice. $150 or so for the set seems like a good deal. Thanks for the video 😎👍

[@Alex25CoB]

So is your 20/14 F400 stone using the "old" B1-10 or the new OCB binder? How would the binder change the outcoming result, in this grit particularly?

[@anthonywaldrep5982]

I just got these stones in for my Hapstone V6 in the 1x6 size and I'll hopefully be using them in the next week or two. The finish off of the 1,200 grit looks great in the video. I've been getting some inconsistent results with my Sypderdo Fine and Ultra fine. I think that both are less than flat and it really shows when using a guided system. I am thinking about following the 1,200 with a Sigma 6k and then a Suehiro Gokumyo 10k since I don't strop.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Anthony Waldrep for what steels?

[@anthonywaldrep5982]

@@michaelchristy4982 I've been using the DMT and Spyderco set for all steels and I read that the Sigma Ceramic 6k can be used for all steels. I used the Sigma 6k in conjunction with the Suehiro 10k on CPM 20CV and it gave a beautiful polish. Edge refinement was very nice and sticky after the 10k

[@michaelchristy4982]

Anthony Waldrep if you’re enjoying the results, run with it.

[@kevinfitz3721]

Do you like these more than the vitrified diamond stones? And how are those vitrified ones holding up?

[@MichaelE.Douroux]

New subscriber and learning a lot. For the 800/1200 Venev, what silicon carbide grit would you use to flatten/prepare the stone before I use it the first time? Also, were your stones from the Dragon (thicker) or Phoenix line? Thanks!

[@bjornegan6421]

i'm curious as well

[@therka3214]

Im using 60#grit on 80F and 150F and 240#grit SiC on everything above or 240,400,800,1200,2000#F You dont want the surface too smooth..Its great in my experience

[@CliffStamp]

I am not sure how a harder binder would change the grit finish? By harder do you mean stronger bond?

[@gabrielcr78]

Great video! Thanks! Would you say the venev 800/1200 OCB pocket size is a good option to take to the field as my one and only sharpening stone?

[@jownbey]

Thatll be fine if there arent big chips. 800 anything youll be rubbin a while if something truly goofy happens

[@Cid_1]

I know the Dragon series stones have a Aluminum base plate and the Phoenix series uses a "Fragile silumin" base plate. I'm not sure what silumin is, but how "fragile" should I expect the Phoenix stones to be? Is it as fragile as a Ceramic stone could be? I'm mostly curious as to how I'm going to store and transfer them etc.

[@CliffStamp]

Anything change after extended use?

[@DLT704]

Venev diamond vs dmt stones. Which do you like better and why for super steels ? I have the dmt folder set, I don’t think they cut fast enough maybe because of the mesh. Keep the videos coming

[@michaelchristy4982]

D T apples to oranges... two different fruits, both with their own taste and health benefits. The preferred choice depends on what taste I’m in the mood for.

[@anthonysmith7624]

looked like a big difference between 240 and up. nice edge.

[@shifteey]

would you lose any edge performance using the 25% diamond ocb stones?

[@georgeyoung4292]

They are in Fepa F ratting.. 1200ocb is i think like 4k but im not sure.. My venevs are on the way.. I will compare them with edge DM i have in 2300# & 4000#..Im excited even more after hearing your opinion on them😉

[@swiggamortis5521]

I wish I were 1/10 as skilled as you sir.

[@RubricoA.]

his consistency is really inhumane

[@jacobwhite953]

Hey there, would you recommend these Venev OCB diamond water stones to someone who’s learning how to free hand sharpen? I use the KME system but have always wanted to practice and learn the skill of free hand sharpening.

[@jacobwhite953]

The Spyderco medium and fine ceramic bench stones look alright for a beginner for some practice, but I’m afraid they are too fine of a grit for the harder steels that I have.

[@bleumoom]

Hey Michael, I've been sharpening on shapton glass benchstones for a long time but I'm looking to get some diamond waterstones to tackle some newer steels. I have a 150 grit nubatama bamboo stone I use for my heavy reprofiling, and I follow with a dmt coarse/fine combo for more wear resistance steels. I am looking for a venev waterstone to follow my dmt fine. I looked at the grit charts and I was thinking about the 800/1200 stone next. Do you have any recommendations?

[@michaelchristy4982]

bleumoom 800/1200 is always a good idea, but you might need something in between if you’re looking to remove scratch pattern.

[@bleumoom]

@@michaelchristy4982 Would the 240/400 be a good inbetween?

[@bleumoom]

Also your vids are great! I started getting into the knife hobby in 2010 but haven't been in it awhile. My shapton glass stones are great, but after 8 years of use some of them are wearing thin. I'm thinking of going diamond as my replacements.

[@robertmorano2372]

I cook for a living and have sharpened my own stuff for over 15 years. I am not taking my edges near as far as your are.(althought your attention to your standards is addicting in all aspects of life) I am really just after a good long lasting sharp usable edge. Most, if not all of my kitchen knives are some form of vg10 and I am using king deluxe 1000 and king deluxe 4000. I have recently been getting into folding knives and more specifically picked up a manix lightweight in s110v. I can sharpen it and am fairly happy with the edge I am getting. I have an extra fine lansky diamond bench stone. Which according to gritomatics grit chart should be about equal to their 400 grit rating on the venev stones. sharpening s30v and now s110v has me really falling back in love with sharpening and wanting to really push myself in sharpening. Do you think it would be a good idea to purchase the 800/1200 veneve stone. Start with my lansky extra fine, then move through the grits on the venev, and finish with 1 micron spray on leather? (for the s110v?) later down the road, I'd buy the venev 240/400 to replace my lansky extra fine, but at $100 a stone, I'd like to buy the venevs in stages. Currently, on the s110v, I move from the lansky extra fine, to the king 1000, king 4000, then 1 micron spray on leather strop. I feel like the king stones might be just polishing the edge I'm putting on with the lansky, instead of actually cutting the apex finer. Sorry for the lengthy question, but I've been watching a lot of your content and it has made me get after my own higher standards. Thanks.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Robert Morano I think your idea about the 800/1200 Venev is solid. You should do it.

[@robertmorano2372]

@@michaelchristy4982 Thanks, keep up the awesome content so that I can consume it.

[@jasonerickson1033]

Dam bro beautiful edge i freehand sharpen and have for about 3 years but i still struggle on getting hair whittling edge but all i use is barkriver white compound do u think i would do better with diamond or cbn i am getting a little frustrated with it your help would be greatly appreciated thanks for your videos bro have learned alot

[@michaelchristy4982]

Jason Erickson yes, move to diamond. It’ll make a world of difference.

[@757OMG]

One other question for you. I respect your opinion on all things knives. If you had to recommend a knife to someone that was only going to buy one knife what would it be. That would factor in blade steel ergos and shape of the blade. I am not worried so much about looks. The kapara is a great looking knife for me. The spydiechef is very good function. I have moved into more functional instead of man jewelry. This doesn’t have to be spyderco and price is not a huge issue. Unrelate I just bought a opinel no 9 carbone to practice sharpening.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Harpazo I would need to know more about what they wanted in a knife. If it was me, I would probably choose some kind of PM2 with a super steel.

[@kevinAuman1]

I have just been using a rubber eraser on my pocket sized Venev's and also I've found I like to use them dry rather than wet which does require more cleaning of the stones but I just prefer the way they cut dry and the fact you can monitor the cutting action more closely

[@757OMG]

They are the work sharp guided field sharpener or the work sharp guided sharpening system. The have diamond plates and they are removable so I can still freehand sharpen. I am not looking for a screaming sharp edge just a good working edge. It’s relatively inexpensive system for someone that doesn’t have the funding to buy tons of sharpening gear. Do you have a recommendation on good starter stones to come most steels if there is such a thing. Thanks

[@michaelchristy4982]

Harpazo if there’s diamond stones, they should be fine on Maxamet. But I’ve never used that brand, so I can’t speak to the quality of the stones.

[@ashleycarey3190]

Would you use these on kitchen knives

[@scotttalkington323]

Do you still have the original ocb 800 and 1200 bench stone? I would be interested in buying it.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Scott Talkington sorry, but I’m not selling.

[@PaulK390S90V]

I should have known he would contact you and set you up lol. I really like these and think they really stepped up since the original Venev stones. They are my go to for sharpening, though sometimes I use my atoma 140 first if I have a serious reprofiling job and so I don't wear the 80 too quick. Great video

[@michaelchristy4982]

Paul Lonardo thanks.

[@wolverinegnr]

Would a set of these stones be good for a beginner? Also would this set be sufficient to sharpen all kinds of knives? Thanks

[@michaelchristy4982]

Ricardo Vazquez these stones would sharpen anything. A beginner should try everything they can to gain experience, but these are good stones.

[@757OMG]

Unrelatedly sharpening question. I have a dull maxamet pm2. I am curious if the shape work field sharpener or the sharp work sharpening system will sharpen maxamet. I have some stones but I know they will not work on max. I am not looking for a razors edge but a good work long edge. Because I have 2 little kids my money supply is always light. I am asking before I buy either of those. I do like that you can take the plates off and freehand. Your opinion would be appreciated

[@michaelchristy4982]

Harpazo which systems is it that you’re asking about? I need to look them up.

[@oceanwaves83]

The work sharp pocket sharpener has a small 320 grit diamond plate on one side. I personally find on s110v it yields just as good of an edge as a DMT coarse bench stone, if not better (easier to achieve hair whittling edges without stropping, which is quite difficult on a DMT coarse). Given its performance with s110v (handles it easily), I would assume it would sharpen Maxamet just fine. However, it has to be tested. If the shape of the grains within the abrasive aren't conducive to stress free cutting, you can run into problems sharpening such hard and high carbide steels. If the apex tends to crumble just before you reach hair whittling sharpness, don't give up, as the steal near the edge could have been burned or fatigued in the cumbersome grinding process. Remove some more steel and try again. If it still doesn't work, get a DMT Coarse and DMT Fine when you can.

[@CliffStamp]

That looks like a lot of loading, any issues with galling?

[@michaelchristy4982]

Cliff Stamp the stones do fine through a sharpening, but I usually clean them off before I start... unless I’m feeling particularly hillbilly and disregard the “rules”. Even with some loading, they cut fine. Might take a few more passes, but they do fine.

[@false-set]

Do you know if they are the 25% or 100%? Trying to figure out the best venev stone for maxamet. Was think the 800grit ocb 100%.

[@michaelchristy4982]

False-Set all the 8x3’s are 100%

[@false-set]

Michael Christy thank you! I was looking at the guided system stones I think. It’s still a really nice finish. (Edit I meant for the 800git.) Your videos are invaluable mate. Thanks a lot!

[@jeremys8360]

Can you give a recommendation of stropping compounds?

[@michaelchristy4982]

Jeremy S Ken Schwartz or Jende.

[@jeremys8360]

Michael Christy thanks. I’ve got a cheap amazon set and sure i can get hair to whittle hair but they load really fast and aren’t very concentrated

[@Naytronic]

How flat are they out of the box?

[@LegBuilder]

What would be your recommendation between maxamet vs m4 as a everyday user steel. I don’t care about corrosion.

[@michaelchristy4982]

GLORY BOUND both. M4 will be tougher, but I like both.

[@LegBuilder]

Thank you for your response. I saw your video on the Gayle bradley and really liked it. I think I am leaning towards that. The pm2 feels great but I like more blade and no finger choil on a knife. That’s why I like the ergos on the kapara but stayed away because of the steel. Keep up the videos. I like that you are not trying to be animated and entertain. You just talk like a normal person.

[@michaelchristy4982]

GLORY BOUND thank you.

[@josh8120]

What’s your take on the veneve stropping compound in the syringe

[@michaelchristy4982]

Josh Rathbun I haven’t used it. What’s your take on it?

[@josh8120]

I was hoping to get your input before I tried it. I have tried the dmt pastes in the past and it just didn’t seem to work anywhere close to what the .5 handamerica spray could do with the edge. Could be user error but I’ve been hesitant about throwing more money away on pastes that I am not going to use.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Josh Rathbun I’ve heard about problems with DMT pastes, but haven’t used them myself. I really have no input on Gritomatic pastes.

[@CNYKnifeNerd]

@@josh8120 I havent used the compound in the syringes, but the stuff in jars performed no better than the 13 dollar, 40 to .5 micron set I got from Amazon. In my experience

[@1ohtaf1]

Do you prefer these or the Naniwa diamond waterstones?

[@michaelchristy4982]

1ohtaf1 these are good, but I prefer Venev’s OCB stones.

[@1ohtaf1]

@@michaelchristy4982 Thanks Michael, do the Venev's cut better or give better feedback or give a better finish?

[@therka3214]

Venev 400 is OCB Michael...80,150,240 are same old binder..400,800,1200 and 2000 are all OCB

[@Mrplacedcookie]

Nagura on Spyderco Ceramic stones?

[@michaelchristy4982]

Jorgen Sandstrom never tried it. Not sure what would happen.

[@winstonvkoot]

Its funny to see people go all the way sometimes i am just happy with my 140 diamond grit hair splitting edge just from the stone but people what that whittle i guess

[@MrT6250]

Im waiting for my 1×6 stones to come. Edit -Got em #gritomatic

[@stevenlachance8576]

Mr T where did you get the 1x6 stones?

[@stevenlachance8576]

Mr T I see gritomatic has them today so. Nevermind

[@stevenlachance8576]

Mr T got my stones 1x6 today hope you got yours. Sourced from gritomatic.com

[@MrT6250]

@@stevenlachance8576 yep 👍 now I'm practicing sharpening my V toku2 dragonfly before I get my next Spyderco. It's either going to be a para 3 s110v or a maxamet native.

[@user-pm7pw1tl3t]

Fepa f grit. 80 is 80 150 is 150 240 is 280 to 320 400 is 800 800 is 2000 1200 is 5000 1500 is 6000

[@jerseyknifeguy6382]

Yo mike super steel Steve wants to have a sharpening duel.......... Make him look stupid!!!!!!

[@michaelchristy4982]

Pg R when did Steve say that?

[@SuperSteelSteve]

🤣🤣🤣 yea..... when did I say that?

[@MrHirschkeule]

Balls!

[@cp1532]

No duel needed. No winner or loser necessary. Best possible outcome is to move on and hope both parties continue to produce as much content as possible.

[@glalih]

Ill join with aliexpress stones just to send everyone packing. @Mike, content and water under the bridge. And a lot of choil porn for post credits scene.