Thread: Yellow/blue coticule vs 4/8k norton ?

its a tuff one but i started out with norton 4k/8k, then a coticule . i'd say get the nortons, practice with it for 6 months , once masterd get your self a coticule as a finisher and then you will apreciate the coticule finish. i have done this progression and it was heavy dutys progression and it went like this 4k/8k bbw with light slurry then coti with water gave very consistant edge and great shave.

Whatever hone(s) you buy, I think you should have one razor sharpened by a honemeister. Keep that one back for reference. It will help your honing to know how a properly sharpened razor feels shaving, and behaves in all the sharpness tests. My own honing skills advanced by, I'd say, 6 months at least after I bought a new, Lynn-honed Dovo.

You can get cheap but good-quality razors at whippeddog.com. I haven't bought one there myself, but lots of members post good things about him. They're cheap because he only makes them sharp, not pretty.

I have both a Norton 4k/8k and a yellow coticule. My coticule is a good finisher after the 8k side, and as someone else has posted, it smells really nice. You'll probably develop a curiosity about different hones, which is the first symptom of HAD. Be very afraid, start with the Norton because, as many have pointed out, it's kind of the "standard" stone here. Relax about the coticule, because you'll buy one soon anyway.

Best wishes and good luck.

Personally i wouldnt bother with paying extra to get the BBW combo
If you have to hone it yourself a 1k for setting the bevel will ease the prosess for you

Im not sure how much easyer it is to learn using syntetic hones (some probably)
After all you still need to learn the stone for yourself

It sounds to me like you already made up your mind about getting a Coticule...
If you do, make sure you talk to the vendor and find out what kind your getting...
As previously mentioned, they vary from stone to stone...

That's good advice btw, about getting one razor professionally honed, at least you'll have a bench mark..Surely there's some members in Canada thay will work with you...

BTW, Naniwa is just as good, if not better than Norton..
You can get the Naniwa Super stone 3k and 8k, or 5k and 10K.
Either set up would work fine...They are great stones...Consistent, fast results....

Enjoy

I went the traditional route when I started and bought the Norton 4k/8k. Little did I know that I really needed a bevel setter (1k or so) since I was buying a bunch of ebay specials. Never could get a decent edge and I didn't understand why until I got my first 1k stone. Now I enjoy the naturals but concur with the advice that a beginner may be best off with the synthetics. One advantage the Naniwas have over the Nortons is that they don't have to be soaked.

If you're really interested in the coticules, a great resource is Welcome to Coticule.be - home of the famous Belgian Coticule Whetstone.

If you are looking for a Canadian place online to buy Norton hones try Lee Valley Tools - Home

Cheers,
Brock

Thank to Cwoodkiter, you find me a store that offer a decent shipping cost to us (Canadian)! The U.S store offer a best price but the shipping cost is too much.

After all your advice I will go for the norton stones. I will take a 220/1k + 4/8k combo, 143$ shipped. Maybe later I will look for a coticule.

Thx for your time everyone!

Originally Posted by macpowa

Thank to Cwoodkiter, you find me a store that offer a decent shipping cost to us (Canadian)! The U.S store offer a best price but the shipping cost is too much.

After all your advice I will go for the norton stones. I will take a 220/1k + 4/8k combo, 143$ shipped. Maybe later I will look for a coticule.

Thx for your time everyone!

Don't forget a lapping plate (or a bunch of sandpaper and something flat to put it on). The 325 DMT 8C diamond plate is very widely used around here. A quick search will turn up more than you want to know on the subject of lapping your Norton.

Originally Posted by macpowa

Thank to Cwoodkiter, you find me a store that offer a decent shipping cost to us (Canadian)! The U.S store offer a best price but the shipping cost is too much.

After all your advice I will go for the norton stones. I will take a 220/1k + 4/8k combo, 143$ shipped. Maybe later I will look for a coticule.

Thx for your time everyone!

I'm glad I could help...that's why we all come here, eh?

Cheers,
Brock