Thread: J-nat & Coticule where to start.

First, I would categorise these stones slightly differently. There is only one coticule (albeit there are different veins with slight variations - but they are variations on the same theme) whereas Jnats cover a plethora of hardnesses, speeds, and fineness. So I am not sure comparing a coticule with a Jnat is particularly fair on the coticule. It's like comparing a handyman to 5 master craftsmen.

The coticule has been tested over the years by better men than I, and the general conclusions are that it is a very versatile stone. If you know what you are doing it will set a bevel (BBW), pre-polish, and finish! It is a jack-of-all-trades stone. But, as with all things versatile, individually there are better. There are better and more efficient bevel-setters, better and more efficient pre-polishers, better and more efficient finishers.

So when you say Jnat or Coti I find it an incongruous comparison. If you are talking about finishing stones, I have yet to hear anyone claim the coti can put a 30K edge on a razor, so to me there is no comparison at all in the finishing stakes. If you want it as a bevel setter....why?? I can understand it as a pre-polisher, but again there are other options there too.

If money is an issue and you can only afford one stone, then I can understand the Coti, or a coti/BBW combo. I think in terms of versatility it is probably King and Queen of the naturals. But if you can afford several specific-purpose stones, I'd go other routes.

As with all things YYMV. This can be a hot-button topic, and these are just my personal opinions.

James.

Hi Goingstr8;

A high quality barber hone could maintain your edge indefinitely. These are man-made and more predictable then a natural stone. Getting a good quality natural stone can be an expensive gamble. Here is a picture of a “000” Frictionite barber hone, very high quality. Sometimes you can find them on Ebay. Have fun.
MIke



[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/lR33q.jpg[/IMG

I have to agree with the previous post. Get a good barber hone, they are consistent and affordable and all you will ever need for touch ups. It would also be somewhat difficult to screw up an edge.

+1 on the Norton first. Then start having fun w/ finishers. If you get a good one & learn how to use it (they're all different), you won't have to sacrifice sharpness for smoothness either--in fact they often go together on most finishers.

Other then e-bay where can you get a high end barber hone

Originally Posted by Jimbo

First, I would categorise these stones slightly differently. There is only one coticule (albeit there are different veins with slight variations - but they are variations on the same theme) whereas Jnats cover a plethora of hardnesses, speeds, and fineness. So I am not sure comparing a coticule with a Jnat is particularly fair on the coticule. It's like comparing a handyman to 5 master craftsmen.

The coticule has been tested over the years by better men than I, and the general conclusions are that it is a very versatile stone. If you know what you are doing it will set a bevel (BBW), pre-polish, and finish! It is a jack-of-all-trades stone. But, as with all things versatile, individually there are better. There are better and more efficient bevel-setters, better and more efficient pre-polishers, better and more efficient finishers.

So when you say Jnat or Coti I find it an incongruous comparison. If you are talking about finishing stones, I have yet to hear anyone claim the coti can put a 30K edge on a razor, so to me there is no comparison at all in the finishing stakes. If you want it as a bevel setter....why?? I can understand it as a pre-polisher, but again there are other options there too.

If money is an issue and you can only afford one stone, then I can understand the Coti, or a coti/BBW combo. I think in terms of versatility it is probably King and Queen of the naturals. But if you can afford several specific-purpose stones, I'd go other routes.

As with all things YYMV. This can be a hot-button topic, and these are just my personal opinions.

James.

I agree with much of this post. I wouldn't say that a coticule can put a 30K edge on a razor, but I've gotten results in terms of keenness and comfort that are very comparable to my Shapton 30K honed razors. In fact, I never use my Shaptons any more as I prefer my coticule edges. I will confess to finding the synthetics easier, though

Originally Posted by Jimbo

First, I would categorise these stones slightly differently. There is only one coticule (albeit there are different veins with slight variations - but they are variations on the same theme) whereas Jnats cover a plethora of hardnesses, speeds, and fineness. So I am not sure comparing a coticule with a Jnat is particularly fair on the coticule. It's like comparing a handyman to 5 master craftsmen.

The coticule has been tested over the years by better men than I, and the general conclusions are that it is a very versatile stone. If you know what you are doing it will set a bevel (BBW), pre-polish, and finish! It is a jack-of-all-trades stone. But, as with all things versatile, individually there are better. There are better and more efficient bevel-setters, better and more efficient pre-polishers, better and more efficient finishers.

So when you say Jnat or Coti I find it an incongruous comparison. If you are talking about finishing stones, I have yet to hear anyone claim the coti can put a 30K edge on a razor, so to me there is no comparison at all in the finishing stakes. If you want it as a bevel setter....why?? I can understand it as a pre-polisher, but again there are other options there too.

If money is an issue and you can only afford one stone, then I can understand the Coti, or a coti/BBW combo. I think in terms of versatility it is probably King and Queen of the naturals. But if you can afford several specific-purpose stones, I'd go other routes.

As with all things YYMV. This can be a hot-button topic, and these are just my personal opinions.

James.

You can actually put a 30k caliber edge on a razor using a BBW and soapy water. I have.

Yup, Depend on the driver and the stone, some or those are not the Garden Variety BBW many of us know…

A good smooth edge though, 30k?

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Yup, Depend on the driver and the stone, some or those are not the Garden Variety BBW many of us know…

A good smooth edge though, 30k?

I got those 30k results on 3 different currently mined BBW's using soapy water.

I get 36-43k on mine.

The numbers really get quite pointless when discussing natural hones--also known as rocks.