Thread: Choosing a good Belgian Coticule stone

I would never hesitate to buy from ardennes. They are great people and the price and shipping exprience I had was awesome. I got a Les Lat hybrid bout approximately 7.5"x 1.5" with large slurry stone for what I feel was a very good price. Got here in no time considering the distance. I think it took a week or less from shipping date. This is a great stone and a great deal. Unfortunately it was also the last Les Lat they had. I don't think they are finding anymore right now. Maybe next year. If you tell them what you are looking for and that it is for a razor they will look through what they have for a nice one for you. They sent me pics so I could decide if I liked also.

Anyway if you don't want large and rectangular, you can get a great deal on a bout from them or even TSS.
Also I have had great results with old vintage stones I found at very good prices online. You need to look alot though and have a price you are willing to pay and be willing to just let it go, cause a lot of people are willing to pay way more than I was(some people have serious HAD). Also look read and learn about what characteristics usually make up the kind of stone you are looking for. When looking at vintage stones you will see what I mean.

All that being said if you are set on a large 8X3 stone you will pay a good bit, but can still get a good price on a bout.

Originally Posted by Gerald Davis

I want to thank everyone for reading my post and taking their time to share their straight razor honing experiences with me. After reading all of the outstanding and very educational replies, I've decided not to purchase a Belgian Coticule stone. I've decided to take my recently acquired beaten up DOVO I've purchase at a flea market to refine my honing skills with the stones that I have. I might just be holding my tongue wrong, so I'll see if that helps. Thanks again everyone.

You sir are smarter than the average bear. Once you are comfortable providing edges on your razors, send a freshly honed one to someone you have grown to trust that knows how to hone & has been at it several years. Their evaluation and input can really help.

There is no better help than finding a honing mentor. The man (hibudgl aka Sham) in the video was my honing mentor years ago. He has his own razor sight: http://www.razorandstone.com - The Front Page Having a honing mentor can sure help you to get you where you want to be with a lot less frustrations. You have all the stones you need, they are quality stones that many veteran honers use to this day...there are really none better, only the stones that someone prefers a bit better. With Norton, Naniwa, & Shapton synthetics you can't go wrong.

Originally Posted by stev

A topic that is somewhat on my mind at the minute also, there is a video on youtube, i think the guy who made it (hibudgl100) is possibly a member here at SRP and it has some very good information to consider.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0l0Db9AXeU

I personally have a standard bout from http://www.ardennes-coticule.be and i have just received a second one in the mail today which i acquired from an auction site (this is the point where i mention to being a minor HAD 'sufferer?').
I do really like the edge produced from these stones, but i do understand how overwhelming they can be.
I hope that video can bring you some new information and help a little.

Old thread, I know, but I ended up here and just wanted to comment on how helpful this video is!

Sham is very knowledgeable in everything honing.

“So what I'm asking everyone is recommendations where to finda good quality Belgian Coticule stone”

The aged axiom comes to mind.

Eeiny, Meeny, Miny, Moe…

Seriously, as the owner of several, one from Ardennes, one from the classifieds, the rest from flea markets and antique stores, and still I picked up another old BBW natural combo stone, a few weeks ago for the price of cup of drip, still hoping for the golden egg.

I have yet to find one better than a 12k, or Thüringan or Ark, 20k or paste, not even close. For what you would pay for an 8X3, you could buy a good Jnat. A good Jnat is much like a 12k Superstone, pretty much rub a razor on it and get a good shaving edge, spend some time learning slurry and get a great edge.

Still with all that, when you come across one in need of rescue… There is something about these stones that draws me in, perhaps years of guys here extolling their edges, (at one time it was the go-to stone at SRP for many, mostly European guys), but there are better edges, much easier and pretty much foolproof.

Learn your 12k, a 12k and chrome oxide should give you smoking edges.

As has been said many times, few guys own just one coticule. No one owns more than one 12k.

Very well stated, lock down the thread!

Originally Posted by Euclid440

I have yet to find one better than a 12k, or Thüringan or Ark, 20k or paste, not even close. For what you would pay for an 8X3, you could buy a good Jnat.

Maybe you just have to accept that coticules just aren't your thing. And that's fine. I have yet to find a better edge for my face than a coticule edge. I can get very close with a nice Thüringer edge, though. And if I felt I would need an 8X3 to hone well, I would probably re-evaluate my technique (plus for a good Japanese natural that size, you could buy a small used car).

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Still with all that, when you come across one in need of rescue… There is something about these stones that draws me in, perhaps years of guys here extolling their edges, (at one time it was the go-to stone at SRP for many, mostly European guys), but there are better edges, much easier and pretty much foolproof.

Learn your 12k, a 12k and chrome oxide should give you smoking edges.

Or just buy a Gillette Fusion or a DE and be done with it. Seriously, are there really that many honers who would want honing to be foolproof (i.e. colour-by-numbers)? Isn't learning about making mistakes and figuring stuff out for yourself?

Originally Posted by Euclid440

As has been said many times, few guys own just one coticule. No one owns more than one 12k.

Right. And no one on SRP owns more than one synthetic finisher. Really, this statement, rich in insinuation, proves nothing.

I wonder why it's so hard for some people (including mentors nonetheless) to accept that there are plenty of people who are genuinely happy with their edges of choice (in this case coticule edges).

Usually this is followed by something about how hard it is for beginners (the "But think of the children!" of the wet shaving community) or how much easier it is giving them advice on other stones.

Really, did anyone on here start wet/straight shaving because it was easy? Like I said, if you want easy, get a Gillette Fusion, a DE or an SE and call it a day. The blades they take are consistently sharper than anything you could ever hone, so why bother at all?

Mentors slamming a preference. So much for YMMV, I guess.

Best regards,

Pieter

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, I forgot coticule guys were such a delicate bunch. Not to worry, I will type slowly…

Reminds me of how the site was years ago, when the Coticule was king and alternate thinking was a personal attack, often ending in a banning.

We have probably lost more folks, over Coticules as have over tape. Now there is something to argue over, (just kidding, for the rhetorically challenged).

Dude, if it works for you, rock on,

The OP was looking to improve a 12k edge with a Coticule, don’t think that is possible, but perhaps you could help him since you have the Coticule decoder ring.

Last I heard, he was using, “Film”…

There'll be no banning unless people get stoopid ie personal attacks. However....
As to the OP, this is a 3 yr old + thread & one would expect he has found his feet by now.
There is no need to necro post & argue about personal choice.

Regardless of belief system, natural stones have such a large range of action that they can do anything that may be required for a razor, from bevel set to polish. Of course synthetics can do similar jobs. You just have to have the right stone in your hands & the skill to use it.