Thread: Escher AFTER Coticule?

Originally Posted by MarkinLondon

An advertisement for what? I'm not advertising anything. I'm an academic. I read books and write papers all day. I barely have a job.

I posted the "was I poorly informed" question because I pride myself on my ability to re-evaluate my opinions when I learn new facts. I was in search of new facts. I've adjusted my opinion several times since making that post. I hope to continue adjusting my opinions.

For an academic I find it comical that you have a stone you've just bought, yet what you think of it is based on others' opinions and not your own experience.

And you are very fickle to change it so easily.

Why not really use the stone before you post, rather than regurgitating a c0cktail of opinions which you believe. That isn't helpful to anyone.

I appreciate your posts and wanting to learn, but SRP isn't about lecturing false opinions, its about educating and sharing via discussions of real experiences to help each other out in a common hobby.

Brief viewpoint from a new honer:

I recently completed my first 'legitimate' honing (bevel creation to 'better-than-good-quality' finish). I did not have a 1K, and so I used the natural coticle that I came across recently. No, it wasn't easy - and yes, I made many steps backwards, but in the end, I did develop a HUGE appreciation for the dynamics of this stone, and I did wind up with a great shave. In fairness, I did not finish on the coti, but the point is, irrespective of what I chose to use to finish, the experience with the coti was really fulfilling.

For me, the synthetics I tried briefly did not provide the same enjoyment - in part because I work with rocks a lot, but also because I personally enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Or, I appreciate becoming the archer rather than simply having some 'correct' bow as mentioned above.

But that's just me....

Originally Posted by Scipio

For an academic I find it comical that you have a stone you've just bought, yet what you think of it is based on others' opinions and not your own experience.

And you are very fickle to change it so easily.

Why not really use the stone before you post, rather than regurgitating a c0cktail of opinions which you believe. That isn't helpful to anyone.

I appreciate your posts and wanting to learn, but SRP isn't about lecturing false opinions, its about educating and sharing via discussions of real experiences to help each other out in a common hobby.

Of course I've used it! hahahahaha

My comments are based on my use, not others' opinions. I love my Coticule! Being fickle is quite different from being open-minded. One is a considered adjustment and the other isn't.

The more I read threads like this the more I am convinced that personal preference and time are the keys to enjoying your hones of preferences. It is obvious that their are camps in favor of certain stones that have worked for people although I am not sure that some of the folks that post about a particular stone have had the opportunity to try a lot of other stones and when someone is only dealing with a few razors and they are happy with the results they are getting from the only stone they have, I also am not sure that there is the need to experiment further.

Given enough time, I can get excellent shaves off a Norton 8K, Naniwa 10 or 12K, Shapton 16k, Coticule, Escher, Chinese 12K, Asagi, Ohzuku, Kiita, Charnley and on and on........ The interesting thing for me is that these results can almost always be made just a little better with some CrOx or .5 diamond or even Cerium.

I think it's fun to experiment with going from any of the finishing stones to another and see what happens. When we were in NC a couple years ago, we just kept doing some circles and 10X strokes from finisher to finisher and TPT testing the difference in feeling following each stone and they all had their own characteristics and surprisingly we didn't over hone a one of them.

As far as the one hone method is concerned, and again, given enough time, you can use any of the natural hones with varying thickness of slurry to obtain decent results from start to finish with a razor in reasonably good condition.

For me personally, I like the finish from the Escher better than the Coticule, but you can still get an excellent shave from either. I also like the Escher for finishing when I am doing multiple razors because for me, I get 9-10 out of 10 to hit with just water on the stone and 10X strokes. With the Coticule and just water, I get in the 6-7 range. With my Japanese naturals, I get in the 8-9 range. This consistency is important to me because of my need to hone many razors. I don't think it is as important for an individual just maintaining a couple razors. People can accomplish so many things using different processes and techniques and given the number of people in the sport, we should see new techniques for some time to come. I do still think of which stones are the easiest to teach someone on so that they can become successful quickly and then go from there on their individual journeys. No right answer here either, just my personal preferences.

The differences for those of us seeking the holy grail of edges is always subtle, but distinct. Many times the razor itself either in grind or make can alter these differences. At this point and no matter what camp you are in, I don't think there is a honemeister that is the holy grail of anything. We are all just experimenting and trying to produce great edges and none of us is perfect, yet. I would ask all of us to support each new stone and idea or technique that someone comes up with that works for them so that we can continue to learn more about this wonderful sport.

I am convinced that there is no best hone other than the one that works best for you.

Have fun,

Lynn

Gentleman, it is not unusual for people to have a strong opinion on which hone and/or honing method is the best. IME these opinions sometimes lead to strong feelings being expressed that can spiral out of control and lead to personal attacks. We don't want to see that so remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion. This is a YMMV pursuit as in all things concerned with straight razor shaving. Let's remember that we are all among friends and discuss this in a manner respectful of each other's point of view even if we may personally disagree.

At ****tail parties, it's best to avoid discussions about religion, politics, or best finishing hones.


Me