Blog Comments

Gents, would anybody know if japanese-whetstones.com of Garrett is still in operation? I placed an order for a few whetstones 3 days ago but am not getting replies for my emails. There are also no signs of my order being fulfilled when I log into my account. Any info will greatly be appreciated. Thanks.

If you ever plan on re-establishing a bevel on a razor that is free of nicks and pitting you can use a coticule. If you don't have a proper bevel after 10-15 minutes, use a coarser stone, because there's something more fundamentally wrong with your edge.

Putting a grit on a natural gives the wrong impression of a stone, which is commonly understood, yet still people like to hammer it home that coticules are 'only' 8000.

Also, you can shave as comfortably off (at least mine) BBW's as you can off coticules.

I have five different strata and they all make nice finishers, even though they vary quite a bit in hardness. At least the ones I have are very versatile.

Plus for beginners, the unicot method is quite fool-proof, given that your honing technique is good. I shaved quite nicely with the first razor I ever honed, on a coticule. Not even using a strict unicot, and I finished on coticule after BBW.

One stone honing of razors in need of restoration is for minimalists. Minimalists also do laundry in the bath tub, thresh wheat by hand, and forgo bathing and deodorant. "Normal people" will follow your advice and get a second stone that does bevel work (which will be cheaper and faster than a coticule) and find a suitably fine finishing coticule that leads toward fine finish more so than fast cutting.

A nice coticule that will finish well is a nice stone to have for finishing. A coticule that doesn't make a nice finisher is a good thing to sell to someone who collects stones because they like the way they look.

1500 bucks for a rock? I'll stick to my naniwas! lol

Nice blog!

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Great blog zib, this should be a sticky in the Hones section.....

Thanks Brother!

Great blog zib, this should be a sticky in the Hones section.....

Hey Zib. I'm also on the dessicant pack bandwagon. I use them both in my razor cases and my tool box. The ones you are talking about are also available from Lee Valley Tools, and are around $7. Same idea though. A window in the top to help you determine their saturation point, and instructions for drying out. Thanks for the blog....a nice read.

Great suggestions there Zib. Just a warning if anyone uses wooden boxes & dessicant packs. They can also dry the wood right out & make it crack. learnt that one the hard way.