little advice please

[Man of Tanith]

hi all
im looking to purchase a sharpening stone i can pack into my possibles pouch and im undecided between the fallkniven DC3 stone or the DC4 stone.
this i going to be my main method of sharpening my knife whilst out and about and probably used to add the finishing touches when doing kit maintenace at home,
so my questions are what sort of weight/size difference is there between the two is it significant or notthing to worry about and is there a large difference in size?
i have used the search facility on the site but couldn't find the answers i apologise in advance if i have asked a stupid question
many thanks in advance
Sam

 

[Shewie]

Taken from Raymondos site

dc3 27 x 77mm

dc4 32 x 100mm

I've not tried a dc3 but I've heard they can be a little too small to handle effectively. I have the dc4 which is a useful bit of kit to have in the field although I refer to use waterstones at home.

HTH

 

[Retired Member southey]

i have a dc3 and it is a little tricky, i am waiting to get a dc4 for staying out and the dc3 will accompany my edc.

 

[Man of Tanith]

blimey that was quick!
thank you both very much for you're advice think thatll be the DC4 then
as for waterstones theyll have to wait til i get a bit more space to store stuff in as the old man is unreasonably complaining ive taken over his shed already
regards
Sam

 

[traderran]

Diamond stone makes a credit card size that comes in fine medium an corse work great stacked all three are only 1/8 thick

 

[HillBill]

Go DC4 mate. I have a DC3 and as others have said its simply too small to be much use. Bigger risk of injury. No good to use like a jap waterstone and too awkward to rub along the edge as its thin and fingers can get in the way. Takes 3 times as long as with a DC4.

 

[Man of Tanith]

lo all
think im gonna go with DC4 as that seems to be the general idea and i was wonderin if the three was bit small i already nick myself enough without giving myself extra oppourtunities.
thanks very much for the advice
Sam

 

[Toddy]

I've got the DC4 and it's a good bit of kit, but to be honest, a good stiff bit of board with a bit of stout leather glued onto it and a wee bit of stropping compound and knives are razor sharp without getting worn away at an exponential rate of knots.
Only if the edge is really, really dull, rolled or chipped, would I use a sharpening stone now. Besides, stropping is really peaceful, therapeutically calming ....

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Draven]

I've got the DC4 and it's a good bit of kit, but to be honest, a good stiff bit of board with a bit of stout leather glued onto it and a wee bit of stropping compound and knives are razor sharp without getting worn away at an exponential rate of knots.
Only if the edge is really, really dull, rolled or chipped, would I use a sharpening stone now. Besides, stropping is really peaceful, therapeutically calming ....

cheers,
Toddy

I agree with Ms Toddy here I've gotten so used to using a sharpening strop, in fact, that when trying to sharpen up a knife fresh out of heat treatment the other day, I had been stropping it for about half an hour (wondering why it wasn't shaving sharp yet!) before realising that I'd need to use the stones first... It's all I use to maintain the Moras, penknife and Old Hickory skinner now though, and it does a lovely job Only really use a stone on my axe and leuku, which get the heaviest work, and the sloyd which I want to be 100% zero ground. Before stropping that is

Pete

 

[Man of Tanith]

well one DC4 is on order now so i'm eagerly awaiting its delivery
the joys of internet shoppin i ordered last night shortly after my last post and am now kicking myself a little but not to worry
toddy and draven thanks for the sttropping idea i shall give that a go as well
regards
Sam

 

[Hoodoo]

I would go with the DC3 for field carry. I've used mine a ton of times for exactly that. I usually don't spend a lot fo time sharpening in the field in the first place. If you are just touching up a blade, a small stone works well. If you put a proper edge on the knife to begin with, it should hold up well for a few days in the field unless you abuse it. It just depends on how hard you plan to use it. Unless your knife has a blade with a high rockwell, say 61 or higher, a small hard arkansas stone or some good sandpaper is usually all you need to lightly touch up a blade in the field. A good small strop is perfect for most chores. If you are doing a lot of butchering, a knife with softer steel and a sharpening steel can be pretty handy.

Below are some of my favorite field sharpeners. The DC3 is the top one. I also really like the double sided Spyderco ceramic hone. If you are carrying hard steel like ZDP189, diamonds are your best friend. Diamonds are aslo very good for putting a toothy edge on soft steel butchering knives.