Thread: Coticule

I can totally agree with you on that, Glen.

I've been fortunate to have obtained mine thru flea markets, yard sales, and antique shops.

And very fortunate to have been able to trade and barter with a few members for items.

Blue/green barbers gem.
Many O Coties
Few Thurigans
Arks galore
2 J Nats
Barbers hones of all sorts
washitas

All on the cheap, but not including the fuel driving all over my state, and others when I drive thru them and see a antique store.

Their out there, u gotta hunt them down. Not intended for the internet hunt.

Wild rocks...!!!

Was trying to be defensive lol sorry if it came across that was

Thank you all for the insight and advice I appreciate it

Originally Posted by Cattleman02

Was trying to be defensive lol sorry if it came across that was

Not at all.

Yeah it's more likely the Frenchie had a case of misinterpretation

As harsh as some may seem. We're only trying to remove the possibly, expensive learning curve. Just the honest truth, from guys here. We're here to try and simplify things, though frustrating at times. Some get butt hurt, others learn from years of experienced, others.

Hope ya stick with it, it's very rewarding when u can shave with a blade u hone yourself.

Truth is you really can almost hone to a nice edge on a brick, probably could if you can find a clean enough one. Aficionados and enthusiasts will always find a Neiman Marcus type premium market to shop at and clutch to minute arguably imaginary distinctions of quality. There is absolutely NO substitute for technique which takes time to master. With proper technique you don't need fancy, expensive stones, just a few good ones.
I have so many rocks I must have rocks in my head but I acknowledge that many were frivolous purchases. I admittedly have way more than I need but I do enjoy them.

I think coticules are great, but should probably plan on it not being a finisher. A great stone to use before an ark if you get one of those.

Will agree prices have gone up, but I think quality in synthetics as well. Don't think the norton 4k/8k would be worth going for today. I think a naniwa or shapton set up would be the best bang for the buck now days. If I were spending money on a cheap set up I would get a surgical ark and a 5k/10k naniwa combo. If I was just finishing on synthetics I would just rather use DE to be honest.

If looking for a cheaper and better shave I think safety razors are the way to go. If wanting to get into a fun hobby straights for sure. For me what makes the straight razor hobby so great is that you can personalize your edge to be exactly what you want it to be. Honing on naturals gives you that great smooth edge while being fun to do and relaxing.

Nice suggestion.

What would be a cheap honing setup that you would recommend?

Originally Posted by Johntoad57

So, let me put another wrinkle in your thinking about honing stones, especially about coticules. There are many people that own expensive stones and they use them to produce a great shaving experience. There are some, (like me), that don't have any expensive stones but can still produce a great shaving experience for themselves. It's all about you and what works for you. It's all how you go about it and knowing how to produce a quality bevel. If you do that the rest is just a polishing process on the edge. Stropping calms the edge and produces comfort. It's really that simple! Don't over think the process.

You really don't need all those high dollar stones to produce a sharp comfortable edge and get a great shave, but again, it's all up to you! What will YOU accept? Have fun, learn, and be content once you find your groove!

Naniwa 1000/3000
Naniwa or sharpton 8000
Naniwa or sharpton 1200

Not that cheap ? Yes I know. Costs less than trying enough stones to find your groove though. (And definitely cheaper than some JNats, that have become so expensive that Iwazaki is rumoured having stopped using them and using synth instead)

I mean off course we would all love to find our hones on the cheap. But to do that you need to know what honing is, and to understand honing you need hones and the loop is closed

Edit: I was curious, and on this side of the pond there is actually a trustworthy "cheap" all natural brand new stones set being sold. Would not apply in the US though, because just the port would be killing the deal.

So the cheapest I could find is approx $200 which is about the price of a set as described above.

The only thing cheapest (not Chinese, Chinese is too cheap and therefore horribly expensive) would be a full progression sold in BSD I suppose. And even then...

Damn them pebbles ain't coming cheap anywhere

Edit 2 : to clarify, you can always find a $5 (*) hone (**) on a flea market or in classifieds and so on, but even if you can identify it, it will only be a hint about its gritt. Only honing can tell you where it fits, and without that information, what you have is a $5 doorstop
(*) Or "oh... I also have a whetstone, since you took the razors, you can take it"
(**) And why not in the end a $20 set