I was thinking the same thing Disturben. I've handled more Coticules than I care to mention. I was a vendor for Ardennes for a while. I don't think Coticules go anywhere near 12k. I mentioned in this thread I believe to the OP, that he could go to his 12k after a Coti. The Verbage on Ardennes is confusing at best. Here's how it was explained to me by Rob Celis at Ardennes.
Kosher Grade: No flaws, inclusions, through and through.
Selected Grade: No visable Inclusions on the surface.
Standard Grade: Visable Inclusions on the surface...
If you can scratch the surface easily with your fingernail and it leaves a nice mark in the stone, you have a soft cutter.
If you scratch the surface of the stone, and it leaves no mark at all, it's a hard finisher.
Inbetween, well, is inbetween. The more stones you handle, to more this test makes sense....
Now, the other day we were discussing how the Nortons that were made in different places, IE. US, Hong Kong, and wherever else they made them, made a difference in their performance, Now, i do realize they are synthetics, but, The difference was pock mocks. What i got out of that was that the pock mocked one's weren't as good as the clean surface ones. So, if that's the case, Wouldn't a nice, clean surface Coti perform better that a standard grade with pock mocks and inclusions....?
We always claim that standard perform as good, or better than Selected. but All my Coticules are Selected grade. I'm happy...
Eye Candy....Far right: Kosher grade Dresannte, Next to it, a pure pink let lat Combo...Vintage...You really have to see it to appreciate it...
Far left, Tiger stripped Dresannte, and you have La petite, La Grosse, La Vienette, etc..All the guys in there...These are just the 6x2's, I think...I may have missed one or two...I have 8x3's and Bouts. All are different cutters...
Maybe one day, I'll thin out the heard and sell some off, but I've grown attached to them....