Thread: Coticules

My favorite size would be about 150 x 40, a good size for hand holding, which give you an amazing connection to what is happening to the steel on the stone. Great for techniques other than plain X strokes ... and much cheaper also!

I started out buying straights left and right, really getting comfortable shaving every day. Then I had to sell all of them to buy a new macbook.

A year later, I wanted to trash my stupid DE and get back into straights. Only this time—I started with a rock and beater razors. My first stone ever was a 150 x 50 coticule. Don't let ANYONE tell you it can't be done. It can, and when you do be sure to tell them about it. There, see that?

Now, brace yourself for the reality: It took me 2 years to figure that stone out. Literally a few weeks ago it dawned on me I was rushing way too much on a slow stone. Some time off here and there, but mostly frustration and serious impatience. Don't let it discourage you. I have yet to experience a "bad" coticule, I buy more of them because I'm a greedy bastard and I have a serious addiction problem. I'm consistent now, but I hone every night. I take a beater razor I don't care about, dull it, and give it another go. It's one of those things that's so simple you're obsessed with figuring it out. When you do, the coti world opens up. The shaves, at least for me, are miraculous, total faceterbating type stuff. Other hones will give you much much keener (I have a black ark that makes a CNAT cry; yet my CNAT is most certainly NOT 12k, not even after 1000 laps on water—yes I tried).

Again, and I want to stress this: the biggest problem I had in learning my coti was impatience. I expected after 3 minutes an edge sharper than a politician's tongue. Doesn't quite work like that. If you don't have patience, bail out now and stick wth synths. I'm with doorsch, I only rock naturals, my only synth is a King 1k that is mostly a doorstop and a soon-to-arrive double layer barber's hone I only bought because I mistook it for a Gross Blanche coticule like a big ol dummy. Can't take new jersey outta this one.

I don't think naturals are better than synths for the dollar, I think they're better *for me* because it's a fun way to hone a razor and open up a cool sub-hobby. Cotis have zen.

Against the advice of everyone I respect on here, I'll probably get one. Lol...

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Originally Posted by Clayglen

Against the advice of everyone I respect on here, I'll probably get one. Lol...

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Go for it!


The first rule of coticules, you do not talk about coticules... said no one ever. Don't be a stranger. Check in with your process. Don't be afraid to question and try everything. I can't remember who... but someone here said he wrote down his honing jobs in a notebook. That's a good idea for a coticule. When you write by hand you really tattoo information in your brain. "Last time I did 12 half laps, not good result... let me try less/more." That's literally how I learned. That and getting yelled at my other guys for never buying a Norton 4/8. There's no right or wrong, but they did have a point: if I bought a Norton 4/8 I would've had shave ready staights in a MUCH better time frame than my coticule.

I'm going to have a dealer hone one of my blades and if is amazing as they say he's going to pick one for me. That should take some of the guess work out of it. Then water only as a finisher. Then see how it goes.

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