Tormek SB-250 Blackstone Silicone Grindstone 220 Grit - Specifically Made for Shaping and Sharpening High-Speed and Exotic Alloy Steels - Fits T-8 and T-7

So, my first Blackstone had a big chip out of it from shipping, so I had to return it and order a replacement. Once I got it on my T-8 it soaked up as much water as the original stone, so be aware of that and keep an eye on the water level when you first start to use it. It ran perfectly true with no wobble and was also perfectly round. In comparison to to the original stone that came with the machine it does work much faster and leaves a very fine edge on the blade that requires minimal honing. I haven't noticed that the stone wears any faster than the original stone as other have stated in their reviews. It's only about $30.00 more expensive than the original stone and I'll say that it performs much better. I don't need to push anywhere near as hard on the blade and it's nice that my time spent grinding is about cut in less than half.I now use the original stone for outdoor tools and hunting knives and use the Blackstone for my automatic and kitchen knives with the more expensive blades and more exotic (harder) steel alloys. I feel that the Blackstone gives me greater control over the process and gives better results on the more expensive knives.

I've had my Tormek since 2006, and have always used the standard "gray" stone even though my main usage is HSS tools. This black stone makes a big difference as promised, sharpening HSS quite a bit faster than the standard stone. The stone also seems to wear better, less prone to the "grooves" that develop when sharpening turning gouges with the SVD-185 gouge jig.Tormek equipment is expensive, but quality is always first rate -- and their support, including backwards compatibility and parts for older machines, is top notch. I chose Advanced Machinery as the vendor, as they are the US distributor for Tormek and always provide quick shipping and great service.The stone arrived very well packed, in very thick cardboard and cushioned with shredded paper. Mounting was easy, and the stone was almost perfectly true out of the box -- just required a couple light passes with the diamond truer.

I've had my Tomek for many years and have found it to be very useful for quick touch-up of plane irons, chisels and turning tools. The standard stone is a bit slow and tedious for more aggressive restoration or reshaping, so I've used a CBN wheel on a standard bench grinder for those jobs. This wheel is a good 'in between', with just enough cutting speed to make quick work of most sharpening jobs without risking overheating or removing too much material.

I purchased the SB-250 to speed up shaping/sharpening woodturning tools made of high speed steel (HSS). The original wheel was just not removing material fast enough. This is a step in the right direction, but I would have preferred a wheel more aggressive than this. I should say that sharpening woodturning gouges is a breeze on this wheel and it does a very good job.

We use these stones in a knife shop and go through 20-30 blades a day. This stone is worth the money over the standard stone that comes with the Tormek -- they don't advertise it as lasting longer, but in my experience it does. For some reason it seems to stay in round longer and it needs to be graded much less frequently.I have had one frustrating out-of-round issue that required some serious grading that I suspect was an issue with the stone itself, but this hasn't turned me off.We pair this with the Japanese waterstone for a great quality edge.

Works great!!

The Tormek Blackstone grinding stone works great for harder steel alloys and for reducing wear on the standard stone when grinding large implements where extra feed pressure is required to take off material at a reasonable rate (axes, for instance). This stone seems to wear at less than 10% of the rate of the standard stone. It makes a great addition to a Tormek grinder.

I have used many of these(4). I am a knife sharpener and they remove the metal of blades faster even though they weren't designed for this metal. It wears very fast and uneven (goes out of round). So most of the stone goes into the tray when I have to true the stone round every couple weeks. I am not sure if its the metal I am grinding or the way they pack the minerals into a wheel. I wonder if others have this problem? But this wheel does cut faster due to it exposing fresh grit and that is why I use them. Another benefit is the black material shows the burr faster than the light gray wheel.

Super

Ottima pietra, ottima abrasione, ma prezzo un po elevato, cmq la consiglio

J’étais septique quant à l’achat de cette meule vu son prix mais j’en suis satisfait. La meule est parfaite pour rattraper une lame. Elle grignote plus vite que la meule de base. J’ai testé également une lame céramique dessus et cela fonctionne. Bref satisfait de l’achat.

Excellent product, best price yet and fast shipping

heureux détenteur d'un Tormek T8 depuis peu, je suis en train de retaper tous les outils que j'ai en stock qui avaient besoin d'être affutés ! Et ça comprend aussi la rénovation de rabots anciens trouvés à pas chère, qui une fois rectifiés coupent merveilleusement bien... (j'adore les vieilles varlopes en bois...)Mais sur la roue normale, ça prenait un temps de fouuuuuuu.Je me suis mis en quête d'une roue plus efficace, qui mange l'acier plus vite pour remettre en forme mes vieux outils, voir même réparer mes erreurs d'il y a longtemps.Cette roue était censée faire ça, et en plus affuter les outils plus durs.Et je vais casser le suspens tout de suite, c'est une roue normale en mieux c'est vrais. Mais rectifier une forme sur un rabot va vous prendre des lustres quand même !Exemple sur ma Varlope qui avait rencontré un truc en métal où je devais manger bien 2mm de tranchant... Et bien j'ai mis 3h en appuyant fort et en remettant régulièrement du gros grain avec la pierre !Bon à la fin comme d'habitude avec Tormek, c'est un rasoir où on se voit dedans, (et ce sans besoin de remettre la roue normale), mais je n'ai toujours pas trouvé cette roue qui mange l'acier...Celle-ci remplacera celà dit la roue normale car bien plus efficace quand même.