NL-4 Lapping Plate

The NL-6 Lapping Plate is excellent. I purchased the Master Kitchen Set, and also the NL-6 lapping plate, because I thought the NL-4 lapping plate that came with the set might remove too much material, too quickly. I highly recommend the NL-6 lapping plate for the higher grit (lower micron) stones. It makes light duty of removing just the right amount of material to remove the load and even out the surface of those stone.

A serious piece of sharpening equipment for a sharpener and polisher who wants to take his/her work to the next level and eliminate as many variables as possible in the process of achieving perfection. Steep price tag, but what you get in return shows where your money went. This flattener has significant weight, resulting in minimal to no effort needed to flatten. On natural stones, it brings up a slurry nearly instantly even on hard stones and the slurry stays on the stone, it is not stuck in tinny grooves or ridges like on the Atoma. The Atoma is a great product and is still used in my sharpening process, but the NL-10 is another tool on another level to achieve even better results. Unlike the Atom you can send the NL-10 back in, so It can be used for a lifetime. Once the Atoma is worn out, the plate goes into the trash. Invest in quality tools and quality craftsmen. It is an investment in your sharpening not merely a small purchase

The NL-10 is a quick cutter and makes short work of whatever stone that I throw at it compared to other flattening plates. The extra clearance from the buttons makes it easy to clear out swarf when flattening. Even if you're not constantly running water over a stone. Any pencil marks I make on a stone stay on the stone until it is truly flat. My experience with other flattening diamond plates with low clearance has been that my pencil marks will wear away from the build up of abrasives/binder and I will need to remark a stone a few times before it is actually flat.

If you're flattening very high grit whetstones it leaves a smooth finish on the surface of the stone and allows you to maintain an even finish on whatever you're sharpening easily or not add more teeth to the edge from the rough stone surface. I also have the NL-4 and compared to that it is slightly slower but the surface of the stone is left much smoother.

The heft of the NL-10 makes it easier to flatten the stones and keep it level. Be careful not to drop it. It won't hurt the plate, but it might break whatever it lands on. That being said I haven't felt like it would slip out of my hands even when whet or covered in swarf/slurry.

It is expensive, but I won't need another plate for a very long time and can always send it back to get trued up if it ever goes out of level with my level of usage. I'm very happy with my purchase and would buy it again if needed.

quality products, I use them everyday!

I have used the NL-8 for about the last 4 years and recently got myself another NL-10 a couple months back.

NL-8:
I have abused the NL-8 by flattening rough-sawn japanese natural stones (with about 8mm deep ridges) and the NL-8 has proved to be able to handle even such ridiculously uneven surfaces. After about 3-4 years of doing so, the NL-8 only went out of flat slightly. I sent it back to be reconditioned and it has come back quite promptly like brand new, ready for more usage.

NL-10:
Having this as a comparison, I understand why the NL-8 was discontinued. This plate is significantly more substantial in heft, area and ease of use. The diamond-infused buttons kept on cutting whatever I threw at them (including diamond stones). I would also say that this plate doesn't remove more than the necessary material. When the sharpening stones are incredibly rough/uneven, it will remove the high spots super quickly. However, when they are somewhat flat, the NL-10 removes material at a slower rate (still a very decent speed) because of how uniformly flat the plate is. Hap Stanley has also done his due diligence in stating that the NL-8/NL-10 works best for stones around 400 grit and above. I have tested this and verified this to be true.

In summary:
The NL-8/NL-10 are both very well-made precision plates able to remove as much material as you can throw at them. This isn't a cheap flattener by any means, but the ease of mind it provides by being precision flat is worth it in my opinion. If used under normal circumstances, it will last forever. If abused, it will still do the job for years. It is good that we know it can be sent back for reconditioning after years of abuse (for a fee).

Given its low rung on the Nanohone flattening totem pole, I was concerned this would be a small ineffectual stone. Boy was I wrong. It’s long and strong, and gets the job done!

Fantastic product.
Does exactly what I want it to do and keeps my stones flat.

use it everyday about 5 times a day. Holds up well and flattens ceramic stones quickly

This cuts and flattens stones with ease. I use it on Hap's stones 400 Grit + and my naniwa stones. It feels substantial in the hand due to it's size and weight. I like being able to place it on the stage or flatten from the top down by hand.

I'm sure this will last a very long time.

I have, I think, serial number 3, this thing is worth it's weight in gold, its a product made to get a job done. I use it every time I sharpen, and it still is in great shape after the years. This is a buy once, cry once kind of tool. Don't waste your time with other methods... if you know you will be in this craft a while, invest in this and forget about worrying on stone flattening. Jason Fox - Never Stop Building

This product is a gem. It makes short work of your 70 and 35 micron stones, and can even be used on the 15 micron. The rake pattern works extremely well. It doesn't load up, and you don't get the annoying vacuum effect which makes a DMT or Atoma plate stick to the Stone being lapped.

Don't believe the social media naysayers that claim the width can lead to inconsistent lapping. It is somewhat thinner than the stones; but so what? I use a combination of angled strokes and figure 8s, which hit the edges of the stones uniformly.

If you lap your stones frequently, as you should, this thing will change your life. I have also owned the Shapton diamond on glass plate, and find the NL-4 far superior. It is also usable on coarser grits than the Shapton. Highly recommended.

First off let me say that I have no connection to the Nano Hone company. I bought the NL-10 lapping plate a while ago and just got around to doing some much needed sharpening this past weekend. I had been using various methods to flatten my Shapton and various other stones, but it always seemed to take longer than it should, and I wasn't getting the sharpening results I wanted.
I was prepared to write a long review, but suffice it to say that while very pricey, the Nano Hone NL-10 is worth every penny. It flattened everything I threw at it with ease and kept them flat with just a few passes in between sharpening. No regrets from buying it.

This lapping plate works great. The larger size provides more surface area. As you move the plate back and forth the extra area around the edge keeps the lapping plate from rounding over (or worse!) the edge of your stones.
This plate is fast - the extra area provides more contact time with the stone. More contact area means faster lapping.
Another thing - I have large hands, and this plate just feels great every time I use it.
Speed, quality, contact area - all these add up to a great product.
I bought the last one available at FWW Live 2019. Hopefully Hap will make some more.

The NL10 is a brilliant professional tool that surpasses its price point. Ive used mine to flatten bench and hand plane soles, ceramic stones, natural and slurry stones, and things that I probably should not have...
Despite the abuse (I am a full time professional sharpener), this plate is still as flat as the day I bough it, and does an incredible job in creating flat and efficient surface topography on all my stones. I can not recommend this plate highly enough. I guarantee you aren't truly flat till you've tried the NL10.