Thread: Coticule Edge

I shaved a customers head yesterday and his face . we normaly use use shavette which you have to have a extremly light touch with. the differance with the coticule edge was i felt i could just get stuck in with out any problems at all . So basicly very forgiving.

I like coticule edges, but my absolute favourite edge has got to be off my Maruichi. Wonderfully smooth and exceptionally sharp. I also really like the edge from my Charnley Forest.

I personally much prefer to finish my razors on a natural stone. I've tried edges off both the 16k Shapton (very sharp and polished, but a little too harsh for my tastes) and the 12k Naniwa, which was very sharp and smooth but just not quite as good as a natural..!

i absalutley agree i don't think you can beat the finish of any natural. I have tryed 10k naniwa and the the shave was shrp as hell but not as freindly for me. A good coticule /escher ch12k they all work well never tryed jap stones.

It's interesting to me that a coticle can be known for giving a smooth edge when the typical garnet grain size is a lot coarser (perhaps on the order of ~3-4x) than even a coarse stropping paste, and certainly WAY more coarse than any you would find in a more conventional finishing stone.

Finished with water, the garnets should be fully embedded in the stone which might reduce the 'effective size' of the exposed grain, and they're hard enough to polish, but still, they're very coarse....

I'll have to think about this some more.....

I really like this subject.

Honing and the associated results is one of the most subjective areas in the sport. I always try to educate peoples thumb pads to the different feelings that you get from each of the finishing stones and associated pastes or sprays that follow. The differences are amazing. You can also actually feel these differences in the various strop leathers that are out there. Then you take these same differences that you feel on the thumb and apply them to shaving and surprisingly, the variation gets smaller. There are definite differences though in how easily the cutting goes and the associated glide of the razor. Again, this is so subjective for all of us...........

You can look through all the million powered microscopes in the world and view every imaginable drawing every done, try every technique that has been and will be developed and it still boils down to how the razor feels on your face.

The real differences from the feel of shaving, for me, come from the use of the finishing stones without pastes or sprays. The pastes and sprays do tend to equalize the results a lot in my opinion.

I am a big fan of the synthetics due to consistency and reliable results, but I love the results of my Eschers and Japanese finishers. I find the Coticule's I have tried, produce a credible edge and a nice shave and on an occasional razor a great shave, but not nearly as often as the synthetics or Escher or Japanese or Charnley for that matter. The only disclaimer is that this is my feelings regardless of all the razors I sharpen. I am demanding on my honing and want a razor to be a decent shaver first time and every time I take them to the hones. I am constantly in search of the perfect edge which fuels the fascination with experimenting with every conceivable stone and media. I have not met the perfect stone yet..........

You can follow what ever apostle or camp that you want and so long as what ever the stone is, produces the best results for you and then you can't go wrong. Now, the only problem is that you have to try a lot of stones on a lot of razors....... so what was the problem?????

Have fun,

Lynn

I have a coti combo. Using my coticule I agree with Lynn in that the edge is credible. I get a much better edge from my BBW. I don't know why - could be the hone, could be my dodgy touch-ups... but it feels a lot smoother.

I get a great edge from a coti, but I can get a fantastic edge if I add a step and use the thuri and a few laps on chromeox.

I think the bbw has a better keeness limit than a coticule. I use mine after a 1k bevel and then follow it with a coticule on just water, the edges are sharp and my face feels like a baby's when I'm done shaving.


I haven't been a fan of an edge off a coticule (IE. the sharpening step of honing), I can't get good results. That may be experience, I'm actually sure it is, but if I have a bbw I'd like to use it anyway.

All in all I still like synthetic hones the best followed by a natural finisher, an Escher or coticule. The Escher edge is sharper, imo.

I have a shapton 16K and I don't like it unless I smooth it with cerium or hit a finishing hone after. I think the naniwa 12K is much better for that step of honing.

I did find escher with water seeemed to improve my edge of coticule on some acasions. the .5 spray followed by 0.25 defanatley does improve keeness just five laps on each adds a nice glide and makes shave efortless. If you hit the max on your coticule you will love it even more . It's just hitting that point it takes lots of practice.

Originally Posted by Disburden

I think the bbw has a better keeness limit than a coticule. I use mine after a 1k bevel and then follow it with a coticule on just water, the edges are sharp and my face feels like a baby's when I'm done shaving.....

The garnet grain size on the BBW is even larger than on the coticle, but it does nothing for me with just water. Slurry on the BBW is another matter. But this just may be my youth and inexperience.

(Well, my inexperience, anyway....)