Anyone tried Maffalo Lapping Plate?

[Frederick Skelly]

Current FWW has a "review". Priced at $140. Here's a link (https://www.maffalo.com/maxi-smart-lapping-plate).

What do you make of this? It's far cheaper than other diamond lapping plates. Wonder why other than it's aluminum. They say it's good for flattening 400 - 10,000 grit stones. Think this would be safe for my Shapton Glass?

Fred

[David Bassett]

I don't know anything about that plate, it may be wonderful, but this:


... It's far cheaper than other diamond lapping plates. ...

isn't strictly true. (I guess "far cheaper than some other diamond lapping plates" works.)

Even at the discounted $120 I see on their site, it's more than I've paid for any of my Atoma plates (which is often recommended for lapping stones) and still almost double others that are well regarded. E.g: JKI's Diamond Flattening Plate (https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/sharpening-accessories/products/diamond-flattening-plate) .

And, yes, many people have used the $55 plate from JKI on Shapton Glass stones.

[Frederick Skelly]

I don't know anything about that plate, it may be wonderful, but this:



isn't strictly true. (I guess "far cheaper than some other diamond lapping plates" works.)

Even at the discounted $120 I see on their site, it's more than I've paid for any of my Atoma plates (which is often recommended for lapping stones) and still almost double others that are well regarded. E.g: JKI's Diamond Flattening Plate (https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/sharpening-accessories/products/diamond-flattening-plate) .

And, yes, many people have used the $55 plate from JKI on Shapton Glass stones.

Thanks for this response David. Until now, I'd only seen diamond lapping plates that were far more expensive. The ones I'd seen (and was thinking of) all had deep grooves like the Maffalo. (Full disclosure - I'd never actually searched for one because the 2-3 I'd "just run across" were in the $200+ price range, so I assumed they all were. So I never pursued it further. That's why the Maffalo caught my attention.) I have several DMT plates and have used them to flatten, but the stiction is substantial and makes it hard to use them for flattening. Maybe the pattern on the surface of the one you link to helps with that.

Appreciate the tip.
Fred

[Richard Hutchings]

I use Harbor Freight diamond plates for this. They work great and cost nothing.

[Chris Parks]

Current FWW has a "review". Priced at $140. Here's a link (https://www.maffalo.com/maxi-smart-lapping-plate).

What do you make of this? It's far cheaper than other diamond lapping plates. Wonder why other than it's aluminum. They say it's good for flattening 400 - 10,000 grit stones. Think this would be safe for my Shapton Glass?

Fred

It won't get the nod because it is different. Machinists use a segmented lapping plate to prevent the chisel/blade floating on the lapping medium which Maffalo seems to be doing as well. He talks about the floating problem in this video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whyw5v7L70c

[David Bassett]

Thanks for this response David. ... Appreciate the tip.

You're welcome, hope you find an option that meets your needs.



... Until now, I'd only seen diamond lapping plates that were far more expensive. The ones I'd seen (and was thinking of) all had deep grooves like the Maffalo. (Full disclosure - I'd never actually searched for one because the 2-3 I'd "just run across" were in the $200+ price range, so I assumed they all were. So I never pursued it further. That's why the Maffalo caught my attention.) ...

The scores of sharpening threads, which usually wander to flattening at some point, and cover most every conceivable option? You haven't been paying attention! :) (Or maybe the "signal" you were interested in got lost in all the "noise".)


... I have several DMT plates and have used them to flatten, but the stiction is substantial and makes it hard to use them for flattening. Maybe the pattern on the surface of the one you link to helps with that.

Bigger plates, especially those used with a slurry of loose abrasive, seem to have the grooves, but the Atoma diamond plates seem to be the most recommended and are flat. (I understand they are preferred for their combination of price, flatness, uniformity, and durability.)

As far as stiction goes, try flooding the surface with more water (assuming water stones of course) and see if that helps you. (If you don't like the idea of stone grit in your drains, I use a wash tub and water the potted plants when I'm done.)

JKI's plate is even cheaper than the Atoma and still gets very good reviews for stone flattening. (Honestly, you're probably still paying a premium for it because of the vetting JKI does. They choose, import, & inspect a lot of what they sell. As a small business they are often reluctant to identify their suppliers to prevent others from using their endorsement to market the same / similar products while under cutting their prices.) I have a JKI one and have had no problems and have no complaints. (And service! JKI maybe the only folk I've dealt with that make LV look meh.)

[Andrew Hughes]

I like the Nano Hone better the Maffalo looks like it might clog easy. https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Nano-Hone-Lapping-Plate-for-Coarse-Stones-P1555.aspx

[Vincent Tai]

I've been looking at the nano hone line of lapping plates ever since they got released; especially the button tech ones which look to be a real beast and could actually outlive us all. The ability to be re calibrated many times is another big plus. Only problem is that price tag; how on earth did I end up in the dilemma of should I save up for post secondary or buy some tools?

Vince

[Ted Phillips]

I purchased the DiaFlat a couple of years ago and winced at the price - but this thing is built like a tank and hasn't shown any indications of wear in two years of flattening my Shapton Pros. In fact, it seems to just be getting broken in...

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the help!
Fred

[Tony Zaffuto]

Looks like the Lee Valley plate to me, only quite a bit more in price than the LV!