Thread: Suggestions for next hone - Belgian

I got some naniwas to start and they work really well. Can't speak to coticules though, only used one, and so variance negates that.

Alfred at Fendrihan knows what he's doing, and he provides great service.

+1 on visiting coticule.be. The site is awesome.

s.

In their very essence all hones that are excavated and produced at Ardennes Coticule are *razor* hones. They can be used for other tools as well, but is is not so that only a minor part of the production is fine or pure enough to meet "razor" standards. I have visited "Ardennes" a few times, and all I saw were nothing but top grade razor hones at various stages during production. The rocks are cut in such a way that imperfections and inclusions that would be detrimental for honing, are omitted. This is specialized work that takes a lot of experience. Once the slabs are cut, they need to be trimmed. Again, this is done in such a way that problematic parts are omitted. This is the reason why they not only sell rectangular shaped hones, but also irregular shaped "bouts". Finally the hones are lappped (granted, not as perfect as most of us like it, hence the need to do some final lapping before the first use), and during that process they are once more checked for quality and the absence of inclusions that would render the hones useless for razors. All finished hones work well on razors.

There are differences between them, but those do not affect the final outcome of edges that can be produced, at least not on a level where I can discern between them. That opinion is based on 2 years of working with and thoroughly testing a decent number of different Coticules. The differences that are present affect the way the stone must be used to get optimum results.
If you only are going to use it to polish an already keen edge, then all this is of little consequence for you. Some Coticules might take 30 laps and others 60 to get a good polish but that's also affected by the size of the hone.
On the other hand, if you plan on using the Coticule to really gain keenness on a less than sharp edge, then the unique character of each hone comes more into play.
There's too much to say about that to address in one single post.

There's a very interesting thread going on at the moment, where Hi_bud_gl, which is one of SRP's leading honing experts, reports about a Coticule that only takes some work on slurry followed by about 20 laps on water, to produce an excellent edge. Most Coticules I have used ask for more persuasiveness to yield such results.
There are several techniques worth trying, and only a bit of personal experiment will reveal how you and your future stone will get along best. For me, that is part of the unique charm of Coticules. Yet, at the end of the day, I personally have not found a particular Coticule that surpasses all the others, and I also haven't met one that stayed behind. Some are "easier" to figure out than others, but once you know yours, that becomes completely insignificant.
In a way, using a Coticule for the first time, is like using a traditional wood fired oven. Your first bread will most likely not be the very best you'll ever bake...

I bet few people started out with straight razor shaving to get the easiest, most consistent, error free shave available. The same thing must be taken into account when choosing the Coticule route to honing. It is - both times - an adventurous and rewarding path to follow. Some parts of it are cloaked in mystery and there's always a challenge lying around the next curve.

Best regards,
Bart.

I am likewise intrigued by the folks who promote bbws and coticules, and yet it's not apparent to me what they offer over the synthetics, really. I have the Naniwa 1k, 5k, 8k, and 12k -- same stuff Lynn uses to produce universally well-regarded edges.

So when I read that a given natural stone is 8k, 10k, or 12k, I ask myself, what's it got that the Nani hasn't got?

Originally Posted by Basset

I am likewise intrigued by the folks who promote bbws and coticules, and yet it's not apparent to me what they offer over the synthetics, really. I have the Naniwa 1k, 5k, 8k, and 12k -- same stuff Lynn uses to produce universally well-regarded edges.

So when I read that a given natural stone is 8k, 10k, or 12k, I ask myself, what's it got that the Nani hasn't got?

Nothing.

What's better for shaving: a DE or a straight razor?
What's better for driving: automatic gear or hand gear?
Do you peal an onion with a paring knife or a peeling knife?
Stainless or Carbon?
A natural linen or a nylon strop?

By the way, in my opinion natural stones should not be given a grit rating. That's something for synthetic hones, that use uniform and measured abrasive particles.

The answer to all questions is: "romantics".

Bart.

Originally Posted by Bart

Nothing.

What's better for shaving: a DE or a straight razor?
What's better for driving: automatic gear or hand gear?
Do you peal an onion with a paring knife or a peeling knife?
Stainless or Carbon?
A natural linen or a nylon strop?

The answer to all questions is: "romantics".

Bart.

Thank you Bart! I really hoped you'd post on this thread as well. You got me with the questions above. I drive a standard(cool thing is so does my wife) and I didn't start using a straight for an easy shave or a quick shave. I wanted something that I could enjoy learning. I think that's why I'm drawn to the coticule even though I haven't tried it. I know a synthetic will work, but there's just something about a natural stone and learning how to use it. From everything I've read, there's a little more of a learning curve for the naturals to get the feel of the stone and I like that. Maybe I'm making it too romantic.

Thanks Bart. I have noticed that the longer I use my Coticule the better I am getting with it. I love my Coticule because it talks and feels like no other hone that I have.


Take Care,
Richard