Thread: Is this hone junk????

One reason it is recommended to start with a stone such as Norton 4/8 or the equivalent Shapton or Naniwa is that many members have experience with them and can advise someone on their experience. Yours is probably a good stone but not many, if any, members know that brand. A 1k to set bevels and an 8 or 10k to finish would be good to have along with your 5k. OTOH, the coticule is a good finisher too.

It seems odd to me that your razor is pulling after honing on the coticule. For the last few weeks I've been shaving exclusively off my Naniwa 8k and I have no pulling at all. Perhaps you're not getting all you can off your coticule, or maybe your face is just more discerning than mine.

As the guys above have said, that hone you just picked up would fit in before the coticule, not after.

I think Lynn's suggestion of trying the .5 diamond or chrome ox is a great one - if that works, you are set; if it doesn't, your edge is not as good as it can be off the coticule.

I'm not sure how appropriate the hone is for razors but Global make pretty decent kitchen knives. I would guess that the hone is as good as most other man made 5000 wet stones. And it's a good size.

Thanks for your feedback, Gentlemen,


As much as I like the stone... it goes back to retailer. I told the guy it was for a straight razor - the step after a coticule.

I think I have taken the blade as far as the coticule could go. Bart got a look at it and said it was sharp and shave ready

Still, I think I could get it just a weeeee bit sharper. I still feel I have to pull a little excessively to get through my beard - patrticularly the first WTG strokes. I pit this against my Merkur DE that I merely drag across my face using the weight of it. Maybe I am expecting too much of a straight edge?

I want it to slice whiskers off effortlessly... like a first shave on a fresh Merkur DE blade. Realm of possible?

Originally Posted by Dorian

Thanks for your feedback, Gentlemen,


As much as I like the stone... it goes back to retailer. I told the guy it was for a straight razor - the step after a coticule.

I think I have taken the blade as far as the coticule could go. Bart got a look at it and said it was sharp and shave ready

Still, I think I could get it just a weeeee bit sharper. I still feel I have to pull a little excessively to get through my beard - patrticularly the first WTG strokes. I pit this against my Merkur DE that I merely drag across my face using the weight of it. Maybe I am expecting too much of a straight edge?

I want it to slice whiskers off effortlessly... like a first shave on a fresh Merkur DE blade. Realm of possible?

No, you are not expecting too much. You need a finer stone after your coticule to get there though. Perhaps another coti, or more likely a different type of stone altogether.

Alternatively, this may have nothing to do with the sharpness of the razor and instead may be an issue of your technique. HOW you use the razor dramatically impacts the quality of the shave in the same manner as how well a knife can cut a tomato. If you just push the knife straight down, it won't cut well as if you use a slicing motion. This is the same issue when straight shaving.

I have one I picked up on the cheap and it works excellent for pyramid progression. Lap with a 325 DMT and you get a nice pinkish white slurry that cuts fast. After the 5000K hone I use the Kitayama 8/12K or South African Silkvein and then on the the naturals.

Roger that on the slicing motion. Will add a little of that.

Still, I was not slicing with the DE.

I took the stone back. He called me a back on hour later. Said he might be able to locate a 10 000 stone.

Fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by Dorian

Roger that on the slicing motion. Will add a little of that.

Still, I was not slicing with the DE.

I took the stone back. He called me a back on hour later. Said he might be able to locate a 10 000 stone.

Fingers crossed.

FYI, the slicing stroke is referred to as a scything stroke. I know it's been discussed in the forum before. Basically rather than the path of the razor forming a rectangle from start to finish, it is instead a parallelogram. I do it with the toe leading but other do it heal leading.

You may need a 12k or 16k synthetic to improve a Coticule edge.