Thread: Finishing hone best value, Coticule or other??

Well that is a good point Utopian I honestly never thought of that. You are 100% correct Phil129 helping the community move forward is huge around this art/forum. I always get great help and info when I ask a question.

Obviously Mainaman is much closer to you and I can attest that he is very knowledgeable about all things related to honing and he is a lot nicer than I am. If at all possible you should try to arrange a time to meet with him. You will learn much faster in person and hands on with him.

Originally Posted by Utopian

he is a lot nicer than I am..

LOL, I can not attest to whom is nicer but when things slow up in the next couple weeks I will see about setting something up with him if he is down. I appreciate any help. In person would be much better I am sure of that, I have been doing well enough taking my time and going slow but actually having someone there to say no that is not right always helps. Thanks again Utopian, and thanks for the chuckle

It's always nice when guys like Utopian chime in with such offers... it is ALWAYS the best way to go, if you can. There is nothing like holding a hone in your hand, maybe have the owner take one of your razors for a spin on it, to show what it can do.

Besides all that.... bang for buck, hands down best finisher for the least amount of money would be the Naniwa 12K SS. Note that I said "For the money".... if you have oodles of money and time to throw away, by all means, buy one of each and 2 of all the good looking ones! But still start with the Naniwa.... I reach for it all the time, even if I plan to use another hone as a finisher.... once it's finished on the Naniwa, I know it's so close, it won't take much at all to tweak it with one of my natural hones.


Regards

Christian

yes captain for the money is what I was looking for, I wish I had oodles of $ sitting around but currently do not. And honestly I was looking at natural such as coti and synthetic and there really is not much $ difference. Now money to stone size there is difference for what I would spend on naniwa I will get a bigger stone than if I spent the same $ on coti. That is really why I was asking this question and all this advice pretty well points in one direction and has given me enough to think about and again the answer seems pretty logical Great advice from everyone thank you again.

IME buying the coticule is sort of iffy. I have 5 of them right now, many more have come and gone, and 3 of the 5 are damn good. The other 2 I'm not sure of. Is it me, or is it the stone ? Say that to say, you may get one that is just great, or you may get one like my 2 prodigals.

I have to agree with Euclid, and others who've recommended the Naniwa 12k. If you get that it is a guaranteed known quantity, and down the road, since you say you like hones, you can get all the coticules, thuris, and slates you'll ever need.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Obviously Mainaman is much closer to you and I can attest that he is very knowledgeable about all things related to honing and he is a lot nicer than I am. If at all possible you should try to arrange a time to meet with him. You will learn much faster in person and hands on with him.

12k naniwa, just because one purchase and it will work, maybe you get a Coticule you get along with, maybe not, use the synthetic toll you max out repeatable results then try some experimenting with the naturals.
As for Ron not being as nice as Stefan, ya I,ll agree to that !!!!! But don't worry Ron I still love ya man, I mean heck your the only Harvard bouncer I've ever met, plus he did loan me 4 of his hones. Tc

Another vote for the 12k. Have 3 cotis and only 2 I would call finishers. The 12k is much quicker and easier. Best to get a known performer and take chances once you have the time and money for it.

How comparable is CrOx on a strop, to the Naniwa 12k?
How about after honing on an 8k? (meaning 8k to CrOx, compared to 8k to 12k)

They are not really comparable.

This is an oversimplification, but think of CrOx as a polish and the 12k still as a fine abrasive. The 12k is fine but still readily can cut steel. In fact, with pressure it can be quite aggressive. On the other hand, the CrOx works more like a polish, though it can remove a very small amount of steel, which can have a greater affect right at the thin edge.

The CroOx can slightly convex the bevel, which can have an effect on the edge to re-sharpen it. The 12k can remove more steel from the entire bevels, and is capable of restoring a dull "U" shaped edge back to the more ideal "V" shape at the edge.

Basically the CroOx can serve as a means to lengthen the life of the edge between honings, while the 12k can accomplish that honing itself.

As far as 8k to each, CroOx can improve an 8k edge but the 12k can, in my opinion, do a better job after the 8k.