Thread: Coticule help - have an edge, but can't get it sharp

I am a big fan of sentences.

Originally Posted by adductum

Easy coticule with slurry can take a fine edge off but perfect for getting bevel correct best reverse hone in circles, then to get an edge water onlyIf the edge still not there or comes off you know your getting there false edge has gone what we want,reverse hone with slurry you will get a different feel back sound as though you have no high spots,then water only very gentle hone the correct direction,super sharp should result,i swear by mine,maybe some feel skill experience needed but take it from me its not rocket science youl be fine.

The Coticule can have this kind of an effect on people.

The Magical Mystical Stone that it is.

my personal experience with coticules is that they are so highly over rated as a finishing stone its down right disheartening. There are some stones out there i suppose that do a superb job, but of the 6 or so ive tried, and the razors ive sent out for professional honing on a coti, ive never been impressed. Theres a mystical code that needs to be discovered and cracked, and its different for every stone. the shaves are smooth but on my facial hair its tug central. My advice is sell it and get a known quality jnat. they are superior in every way to any coticule. check japanese-whetstones.com.

All I can think after looking at the price tag of those Jnats is this: There isn't any 8 x 3 x 1/2" rock on this planet worth more than what they charge for a quality coticule or Arkansas hone. And after Using a Welsh slate, I would be hard pressed to justify spending that. But to each his own. Maybe one day I'll stumble across a coticule for a good price in an antique shop.

Guys I,ve had several razors honed on several different stones, I guess I,m going to say that everyone likes their hones and will never agree. I shave with a razor that was honed on Jnats, and Zulu, and arks. Plus naniwas pretty hard to beat either, but the 12k naniwa followed by chrome ox seems as good as the others, all my blades are smooth and keen, also just now trying CBN and its doing pretty darn good too. Have not tryed a coticle or Escher yet, but I,m going to take a guess and say in the right hands they produce a great edge also. Those who swear by theirs usually have an investment that makes them like them more, no different than I feel I like my custom razors better than vintage, so there that should clear it up as good as mud, but a good synthetic is producing a lot of great edges. Tc

I've got a 175x40 La Grise and a #8 La Dressante bout. I've used them for over a year now. My first experience, I honed a non-shaveready Bismarck and got an exceptional edge. This can't be too hard... I have yet to win the same success on 6 other razors over a year's time. I can get a decent edge that shaves well enough, but I just can't duplicate the edges put on my razors by better honers with different stones. I believe I can get more out of my rocks with time, but am seriously considering a Black Ark for a new finisher.

Originally Posted by Marshal

All I can think after looking at the price tag of those Jnats is this: There isn't any 8 x 3 x 1/2" rock on this planet worth more than what they charge for a quality coticule or Arkansas hone. And after Using a Welsh slate, I would be hard pressed to justify spending that. But to each his own. Maybe one day I'll stumble across a coticule for a good price in an antique shop.

Alex posted a jnat from a Japanese site that cost $30,000. There is definitely a line of diminishing return. You can get great jnats for the same price, and cheaper, than coticules. If you email garret he will explain all of that. He has stones for any budget and use. My newest jnat cost more than I'd ever imagine spending on a rock, but it performs better than any other rock I've bought, and I've bought many. So in my mind it makes sense one really good rock is better than 10 mediocre ones.

Meh, I'm not knocking anyone's choice in what rock they use for their razors. Synthetic, natural, American, German, English, African, Japanese, Chinese...they're all a means to an end, and there's a chair for every butt. Just a matter of figuring out which chair yours belongs in. Just pointing out that my response to them is the same as when I saw the tag of a Thuri. "Probably a really nice rock, but not 400-800 dollars worth of nice rock..." YMMV.

I'm kinda with cau in that I want to pick up a black Arkie. But at the same time, I should probably just stop looking at all of these shiny naturals and learn to use the hones I already have at hand!

Originally Posted by prodigy

my personal experience with coticules is that they are so highly over rated as a finishing stone its down right disheartening. There are some stones out there i suppose that do a superb job, but of the 6 or so ive tried, and the razors ive sent out for professional honing on a coti, ive never been impressed. Theres a mystical code that needs to be discovered and cracked, and its different for every stone. the shaves are smooth but on my facial hair its tug central. My advice is sell it and get a known quality jnat. they are superior in every way to any coticule. check japanese-whetstones.com.

Coticules rule, It's that simple,,,, Excalibur was honed with a coticule

Originally Posted by prodigy

Alex posted a jnat from a Japanese site that cost $30,000. There is definitely a line of diminishing return. You can get great jnats for the same price, and cheaper, than coticules. If you email garret he will explain all of that. He has stones for any budget and use. My newest jnat cost more than I'd ever imagine spending on a rock, but it performs better than any other rock I've bought, and I've bought many. So in my mind it makes sense one really good rock is better than 10 mediocre ones.

In Japan there are those who purchase Jnats as collectable items. They don't use them. They display them and prize them for the location they came from and the patterns on the stone as well as the composition. 30 Grand (to those folks) isn't a lot of money for one of these babies. I've been told some sell for over 100 grand.