I was thinking it's more like a volkswagen beetle or a citroen 2cv!!
I don't get any drama from arks, but I'm used to arks. I go back to the jnat koppa sized stones that a dealer says are good for a razor because every one I've gotten is finer than cotis and it's just what you say, no drama. Put the razor on the hone in a slurry, rub it in it, dilute it. it really doesn't even matter what direction the strokes are or the amount of pressure.
The unfortunate thing about all of them (unmarked cotis, generic jnats, etc) is that they're all going up in price. I guess the ark stones aren't, but I don't like the arks in small stones, and the 8x2s are a bit cumbersome for a hand hone in the bathroom. If cotis could match the jnat barber hones I have, they'd be in my upstairs bathroom, but in the handy 5x2.5 size. The equivalent jnat koppa (in size and cost) is something like 6x3.
I can't say much for escher, I think they work well, but they are, too me, a $100 stone that costs $500. I'll give them consistency, they are all almost identical if they are labeled and the same color.