Thread: getting an edge with a coticule

Originally Posted by fxt913

This is such a classic subject: "getting an edge with a coticule"[...] Happy "coticuling"!

Oookay. So. I don't know where you got all that information and why you seem to believe that's the long and short of it.

Whether or not most are finishers, is very much a matter of personal taste. Most coticules I have tried were perfectly capable of providing a keen, smooth shaving edge that holds up quite a while. Many other users share that view.

While you can burnish a coticule, it is not common use. As you hone, and especially while using slurry, a coticule releases garnets that refresh the surface.

Coticules have long been used for sharpening razors.

While coticules are, generally speaking, non-porous, using oil is fine. As far as i know though, it has never been the standard. Personally, I have not noticed coticules performing better when used with oil as compared to water though. But whatever holds your fancy.

I also have not noticed any significant edge improvement when finishing under running water.

It seems some people's expectations as to what a coticule should be able to provide is misplaced. Many seem to think that a coticule on water should add keenness. Most do not significantly do this. Finishing on a coticule provides shaving comfort, not keenness.

Also, finishing on a coticule on water takes, generally speaking, at least 30 X-strokes.

If your keenness standard is something like a synthetic hone of 20k+, you will be sorely dissappointed with the keenness coming off a coticule. I have shaved with plenty of "scary sharp" synthetic edges, and still very much prefer a coticule edge (although it is possible to get "scary sharp" off a coticule as well, with a bit of effort). Coticule edges last quite a bit longer than high grit synthetic edges as well, in my experience.