This all-purpose whetstone sharpens and hones a variety of household tools and equipment, maintaining the accessories for the hobbies of just about everyone in the house. Its most common use is for sharpening kitchen cutlery and scissors; however, this whetstone also works on chisels, planes, masonry drills, and other shop tools; garden tools; ice skates; climbing equipment; ski edges; fishhooks; ceramic; stone; and glass. The whetstone is durably and uniquely constructed of perforated steel molded into a plastic base. The surface features minute pieces of diamond, the hardest known material for sharpening, embedded into a nickel plate, to achieve an extremely sharp edge. The bonded diamonds are arranged around an innovative pattern of plastic discs and the combination of these two materials greatly reduces sharpening time and resists wearing over time. This particular whetstone is encrusted with a fine diamond grit of 600 mesh to put a razor-sharp edge on any type of blade. The surface should be moistened before sharpening and the blade should be passed over the whetstone with light pressure at a 20-degree angle to get the proper edge without dulling it. After sharpening, the whetstone may simply be wiped off and its nonporous properties prevent water from seeping below the surface. This whetstone measures 6 by 2 by 3/4 inches and has rubber safety feet underneath it to prevent sliding during sharpening. DMT generously vows to replace any product found to be defective free of charge. --Cristina Vaamonde