Grinding applications for the machining of stone and concrete require composite tools where large diamonds are perfectly embedded into a metallic matrix. With the detonation flame spraying process, it is possible to manufacture these super abrasive composites. Excellent embedment of the voluminous super abrasive particles into the matrix coating material can be realized to produce high quality composite layers for grinding applications of stone and concrete. In this paper, different diamond gradings as well as different volume contents of diamond in matrix are compared. Especially, the influence of particle size on its implantation efficiency is investigated and the influence of process and substrate temperature is analyzed. The thermal sprayed grinding tools are evaluated with respect to their microstructure as well as their grinding abilities. Compared to sintered diamond-bronze samples, the results of an adaptively designed grinding test for the machining of concrete are presented and analyzed.