Why does my new coticule feel like I'm honing on gravel?

I have not read the entire thread, shame on me! But I will tell you that not all coticules leave a fine edge. Most of them max out around the 8K mark, most around 6000-8000K mark. A coticules edge may feel more gentle to the skin because of the way the garnets cut the steel, however the way the edge actually cuts hair at the skin level will be the same as an 8000 norton, etc.

I've owned coticules that were sold as finishing hones that left an edge that was very rough, around 2-3K level. They're not all the same, and most of them vary a lot. Sometimes the garnets are very large and stick out more, so they cut a rough edge into the razor. I owned one that sounded like I was honing on sandpaper and when I was done the edge was chipped to pieces. No one could explain why, and this was an old coticule with a box that said it was for razors, a natural combo. The BBW side acted normal. Wouldn't' expect that from a vintage coticule, would you?

Some coticules can be tamed by honing under running water. This makes the stone act finer, the same thing would happen if you put oil on the stone, but may ruin the stone, so I've heard.

I've owned maybe 200 coticules and lost a lot of money on them, sold most of them off and made some money back, but in the end I lost a lot of money. Try stones before you buy them, if you can. I learned my lesson with guitars, I bought many of them and found out I didn't like the way a lot of them played, so I had to sell them. Now I try first.

Now I just use my norton 4/8K for most of my honing and shave right off the 8K...You know whats weird? I like it...

Wow, crazy, so many Cotis and non was good? I also tested a view and yes, not all of them I´ve tested are good finishers for straights. But I know there are really good ones out there.
When I saw this one I thought, awesome, a La Dressante, this must be a super hone. No, it was not. It was impossible to get a good shaving edge, I sent it back.
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This one, a hard La Veinette is a interesting stone. After a decent lapping at 400/800/1200 w/d it was very rough, the result was disappointing. But I continued to try, lapped it again without pressure on paper and honed a razor thereon for a long time. It is much smoother now. I get good results when I move the razor very quickly without any pressure, not even lay a finger on the blade. Thats a bit strange, isn´t it?
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This one is very very hard and tough. After the 1200w/d it was smooth as glass, really like windowglass. That was not good, the razor did not become sharper. The solution was also a bit strange, I put this stone on 120 w/d paper, it is so hard that the paper didn´t leave deep scratches, the surface is only rougher. Now I can make a HHT 4-5 without stropping, a really good stone for razors.
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I think a good indicator for a good Coti is when the razor pops hanging hairs before the stropping. If that is not possible I would try to send the stone back. I´ve had very good experiences with the Les Petas, even if the blades rattle slightly. But if the shave is just not good and it works better with other stones I would ask Ardennes Coticule for an exchange.

And that is what naturals are about. If you can try before you buy then I would recommend to do it even though you need to expect higher prices. You need to match your skills and expectations with the hone otherwise even good hone will not necessarily make you happy.

I owned one that sounded like I was honing on sandpaper and when I was done the edge was chipped to pieces. No one could explain why, and this was an old coticule with a box that said it was for razors, a natural combo. The BBW side acted normal. Wouldn't' expect that from a vintage coticule, would you?

That´s really sad, maybe, was the stone not the original?

Some coticules can be tamed by honing under running water. This makes the stone act finer, the same thing would happen if you put oil on the stone, but may ruin the stone, so I've heard.

I have two vintage natural combos that were used with oil. One is oil free now after cleaning and lapping, the other one has still an oil odor and I can´t change this. Both are great stones, the oil has no further effect in my opinion. But Cotis are different...there could be veins which don´t like oil, I will never try it.

I learned my lesson with guitars, I bought many of them and found out I didn't like the way a lot of them played, so I had to sell them. Now I try first.

I´m a big fan of Gibson Les Paul guitars, I have two of them. I replaced the pickups to aktive ones, I would say there is no better guitar anywhere.

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Originally Posted by Sebrazor

I owned one that sounded like I was honing on sandpaper and when I was done the edge was chipped to pieces. No one could explain why, and this was an old coticule with a box that said it was for razors, a natural combo. The BBW side acted normal. Wouldn't' expect that from a vintage coticule, would you?

That´s really sad, maybe, was the stone not the original?

Some coticules can be tamed by honing under running water. This makes the stone act finer, the same thing would happen if you put oil on the stone, but may ruin the stone, so I've heard.

I have two vintage natural combos that were used with oil. One is oil free now after cleaning and lapping, the other one has still an oil odor and I can´t change this. Both are great stones, the oil has no further effect in my opinion. But Cotis are different...there could be veins which don´t like oil, I will never try it.

I learned my lesson with guitars, I bought many of them and found out I didn't like the way a lot of them played, so I had to sell them. Now I try first.

I´m a big fan of Gibson Les Paul guitars, I have two of them. I replaced the pickups to aktive ones, I would say there is no better guitar anywhere.

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I got the les pauls, the Stratocasters, the telecasters... Oh man, don't let me hijack the thread for guitars! It'll never end. HAHAHAHHAHA