Lansky Double-Sided Diamond Benchstone Medium/Fine review

This assessment covers Lansky's exact Double-Sided Diamond Benchstone Medium/Fine, SKU DB2860, rather than its related Coarse/Fine DB1260 or a portable paddle with a similar grit family. The current maker record places DB2860 in Knife Sharpeners and Benchstones and gives it two diamond faces. This is research from product documentation, not a use test; I have not handled the stone. See Lansky's exact DB2860 page.

Medium and fine, but verify which medium grade is on offer

The current exact page calls the green side medium and the blue side fine. It assigns the medium face to reconditioning an undamaged, dull edge and the fine face to honing, polishing or maintaining a finished edge. The page says the medium face removes substantial material, so “medium” should not be read as a promise of a feather-light touch-up.

The stated medium grit is not consistent across Lansky sources. The current DB2860 page says 400/600; a Lansky-branded 2022 catalog copy lists the exact model code DB-2860 as 280/600. Both call it Medium/Fine, and both list 600 on the fine face, but I found no manufacturer note linking the two medium numbers to distinct generations or packages. If the numeric grade matters, confirm the physical label or exact seller package. The review does not choose a value by averaging the sources.

This is the main documented distinction from its DB1260 sibling: DB2860 is the maker-labeled medium/fine combination, while DB1260 is coarse/fine. Their current pages and the earlier catalog agree on that relative role, even though both models have an unresolved absolute medium/coarse grit discrepancy. Do not treat similar names as interchangeable offers.

The user controls the bevel

The maker describes the base on a stable, flat work surface, with the selected face turned up. The instructions ask you to watch the knife's existing bevel and guide the edge across the diamond in one light, continuous stroke, then repeat on the other side. Later passes reduce the number of strokes and may move to a finer stone. This is manual freehand sharpening; DB2860 supplies no clamp, angle rail or preset position.

No degree setting, adjustment range, interval or angle convention appears in the exact record. If you require a documented 20° or 25° guide, the page does not establish one. The 2022 catalog lists a 6 × 2-inch stone surface for the exact DB-2860 code. That is not the size of the full base, the usable stroke length for every knife, or a guarantee that a particular blade clears the work surface.

Kitchen use is documented, not every blade task

The current exact description names dull or damaged kitchen knives and woodworking chisels among its use examples. That supports a kitchen comparison, but it is not an individual compatibility chart for every chef's knife, steel, bevel or blade profile. The same paragraph says the fine side can leave a “micro-serrated working edge”; it does not describe sharpening existing serrations. No exact scissor procedure is given, and the product page does not specifically name pocket or hunting knives. Those features remain unverified rather than assumed from another Lansky benchstone.

Care language and the two-face limitation

Lansky's instructions advise against lubrication and explicitly say not to use honing oil on the diamond. They recommend wiping the diamond face with a damp rag after use. One copied sentence refers to “the three stones,” although this exact model is presented as a two-face benchstone; that wording does not establish a third surface. The exact product is diamond on both faces, so the page gives no alternate oil-use procedure for this package.

The product page identifies a non-slip base and holes for optional bench mounting. The 2022 catalog calls the base non-slip rubber and provides the 6 × 2 surface size; the current product text does not state an overall footprint. The exact record does not say a leather strop or other care accessory is included. Check the package and your available bench space rather than infer either from the photo.

Who should compare this package

DB2860 is worth comparing when you want a manual diamond benchstone with the maker's medium/fine roles and are willing to hold the bevel yourself. For a more aggressive first face, compare DB1260; for three different abrasives in a supplied base, see the Lansky BSTR100. A single-face product such as Lansky's Fine Hone system component is a different format and does not provide this two-face progression.

Before buying, match the exact DB2860 code, confirm the medium-face label if a particular grit is essential, and verify seller contents. Do not count an angle guide, strop, case or a third abrasive face unless the exact package says it is included. The published evidence supports manual kitchen and chisel work; it does not prove an individual knife fit, sharpening outcome, current seller stock or performance advantage.