Atoma 140 vs WEPS 50/80 stones

[Mikedoh]

Anyone know where the Atoma 140 falls in regards to the WEPS 50/80 stones aggressiveness/coarseness/grit wise?

And yes, I now know, grits ain’t grits.

Thanks
Mile

[Phil Pasteur]

I haven’t seen published diamond micron sizes for the Atoma plates. If the 140 is rated as other Japanese abrasives with the JIS scale, then 140 is approximately 100 microns. Numbers I have seen for the 80 grit WEPS diamonds is 160 microns. The 50 grit at 330.5. Tom says that the 140 Atoma is more closely related to the XXC DMT which is 120 microns. On the face of it, the 50/80 are much more coarse!

Other factors will influence the results. Maybe most significantly the way the diamonds on the Atoma plates are deposited in a precision sort of pyramid. There are lots of other factors that will come into play.

Having never tried either, I have no first hand experience to relate.

Why do you ask? Thinking about getting some Atoma Plates cut for the WEPS ??

[Phil Pasteur]

Somehow I got a double post on this one…

[Mikedoh]

Have an Atoma 140 in the stones for my EP. Never used it.

[Phil Pasteur]

I guess you do not have the 50/80 plates for the WEPS…
Neither do I, but there have been a few times that I kind of wished that I did.
The belt grinder took care of those issues handily though.
Why did you get the 140 plate for the EP?

[Mikedoh]

I have this cold steel kukri that I had worked on with the DMT guided system.
Was going painfully slow. Never finished it. Got the EP and thought it was a good time
to finish it, but never got the hang of keeping a knife steady enough. So never finished it.
Thought I might finally finish the kukri on the WEPS using the Atoma 140.

You’re right, I don’t have the 50/80.

[Phil Pasteur]

Have you thought about how you would mount the 140 to use it on the WEPS.
Are you going to cut it in half…lengthwise, and mount the pieces to paddles??

I know what you mean about steady and the EP, especially with a big knife…

I used the EP for a dozen or so knives. I actually got some decent edges.
It was an exercise in concentration and I found repeatability to be difficult..
mostly my fault I am sure.

BTW, I use the belt grinder for large Kukris. Makes them a snap.
No WEPS precision, but they are sharp… and get there mighty fast.

[Mikedoh]

I plan to leave the 140 whole and only do one side at a time with it.

[Phil Pasteur]

How are you going to mount it to a paddle??

[Jende Industries]

I’ve been hearing feedback from people that the 140 Atoma holds its own against the 50/80, if not being even more aggressive. It’s a perfect example of “grits ain’t grits”.

The major difference is the layout of the Atoma diamonds, which are little clusters of diamonds whereas the 50/80 are more just a sprinkling. I’ve used the 50/80, and I have used several sizes of the Atoma 140, but not on the WEPS yet. From my experiences, I’m predicting the 140 Atoma on the WEPS is probably going to be seriously aggressive and I would agree that it will be as aggressive, if not more so, than the 50/80.

The Atomas are a super-premium upgrade, though.

FWIW, Bob Nash from Oldawan has the Atomas for the WEPS up on his site, but I don’t know if he’s tried them. Also, I heard that Tony Jackson, the Australian WEPS dealer, is getting some as well…. I’m actually ordering a set of Atomas for my WEPS soon from Ken Schwartz, and will have them when I get back from my road trip this summer.

[tuffy braithwaite]

when i owned the EP i used the 140 often and it is very aggressive, but did just what what expected of it.
last week i received my 50/80’s and used them first on my sat. knife gig on 2 knives at first. i should say i used the 80 side. kinda reminded me of the 140 somewhat. then i had a restaurant guy call and wanted me to sharpen a few of his and i used the 50/80’s more there on some of his knives that were in bad shape.

man oh man the 50 side is bad to the bone, but after several uses and same for the 80 side they are working out just great for the knives i find in need of major work….fast work too.
JMHO.

[Ken Schwartz]

I do have the Atoma plates in 140 400 600 and 1200 grit available for the Wicked Edge. I find the 140 more than aggressive enough for reprofiling abrasion resistant steels and major repairs, yest still leaving a finish that doesn’t have extremely deep scratches for the level of aggression it gives. I have not tried the 50/80 stones personaly, but customers have reported comparable results between the two.

I have begun cutting Nubatama stones for the Edge Pro and upon request will cut them for the Wicked Edge. Two of the coarsest stones in the Nubatama series are 60 grit and 24 grit. Now that’s rough!

—
Ken

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