Thread: The other side of the coti

I tend to slurry a softer coti slurry stone on mine if I am using the material. Just in an attempt to get some pull out of the gates. Obviously, the true nature of the stone will eventually come through as you dilute.

BBW is kind of like playing with random slates in an attempt to get a finishing stone. You look at them and they seem like they will be really good for the intended purpose, but then testing usually shows otherwise. If something is dead slow, you usually want some sort of concession in the form of absolute fineness but they don't get there. They have positives in the sense that a lot of them have genuinely nice feedback and are really not damaging at all. You want the redder stuff, generally. I only think that dark one I have is exceptional because the coti it is bound with is.

I'll admit that I don't use my BBW or Coti as my final finisher.

However, the BBW and Coti have both become indispensable in MY honing routine. I have been honing on these 2 hones almost exclusively for a couple of years now, with satisfying, and repeatable results. I have come to know my 2 hones quite well and know what these particular hones are capable of; others may yield different results and I can only speak for myself.

I do prefer a Thuringian finish on my razors, but that's only the final stage of my honing.

The Coti may be a more effective hone, as in that it works faster, but my BBW can do almost everything my Coti can do, being it slower and taking more time; but I don't really mind that.
My heavily slurried BBW will set a bevel without a problem and with dilutions will leave a very keen and superb edge, (that keenness I cannot get out of my Coti) that's ready to be finished; no other hones needed. Not to say I don't use my Coti with slurry to set bevels, because I'm impatient. It does depend how bad the condition of the current razor is, if it needs a lot of honing and the bevel is really far off, depending how patient I am I'll use the Coti. But if the razor is not in that bad of shape, I'll mostly just use the BBW.

I do however prefer to go to the Coti with plain water after the BBW, because it does seem to smooth out my edge nicely, which I like, and I can't yet get this from my BBW. After the Coti I go to a Thuringian hone to end my honing routine, because I just like the way it shaves my beard and my face, it's very keen, but very smooth, lovely edges.

The Coti I use most is neither fast, nor slow, somewhere in between, and I like the way it works on water; I might use a tiny hint of slurry after the BBW, but coming from the BBW with the slightest hint of slurry, I mostly use the coti with just water, if I had a very slow Coti on water I would probably slurry more.
My BBW is truly a big workhorse and does all my "dirty, hard" work.

It's all personal preference. I could probably skip the Coti and go from the BBW to the Thuri with slurry and dilutions. But for now I haven't experimented with that enough, so I'll stick to the Coti after the BBW and before the Thuri.

It's just a way I have been playing with the BBW and Coti that have created a routine for me through trial and error, we all hone a little different and like different things. It's all about finding what you like and prefer to hone on. etc. etc.
Everything shaving related is very subjective related matter.

If you ask Maurice at Ardennes Coticule for a BBW on which you intend to hone straight razors, you will most definitely get a BBW that's good for that purpose without a doubt.
I'm not saying the BBW is a magical hone, but the ones that are capable of honing razors certainly have a place in the honing of them, for me. That doesn't mean you have to use one, just means that you have to find what you like and what gets you results. Find what works for you.
If you like it, use it, if you don't, don't use it. It's all good.

The only bit of weirdness is this keenness limit idea with cotis. Maybe they are factoring in the slurry dulling effect that seems more prominent with some veins, idk... I have a few cotis that are so fine I can't justify the thuri, one in particular is finer than I thought they could get. I used to think ppl describing using coticule x, y, or z and relating some crazy equivalency were too enthusiastic until I got that. It was a bit of an eye opener.

Originally Posted by kcb5150

The only bit of weirdness is this keenness limit idea with cotis. Maybe they are factoring in the slurry dulling effect that seems more prominent with some veins, idk... I have a few cotis that are so fine I can't justify the thuri, one in particular is finer than I thought they could get. I used to think ppl describing using coticule x, y, or z and relating some crazy equivalency were too enthusiastic until I got that. It was a bit of an eye opener.

I have both the BBWs you showed the pictures of, have you used those as a finisher? If so, with plain water? Or are they just good BBWs to hone on
I'm curious, because I'll definitely try that out that soon, there's a lot more to be experimented; there's just a lot of variety and so much trial and error to get through.

But that's the great part of it all, the mystery, the experience, the collecting, using, etc.
Toys for boys.

I have used them to do the bulk of the work on their respective hones. The globular one is bound to an incredibly hard, slow coticule that is just nicer off water for the final refinement. The other is a choice Belgian stamped stone. I wish I could find it, I posted somewhere before my experiences with a big variety of bbw. I use slurry. You just have to experiment with Belgian stones in general. They tend to surprise with their performance ceilings