Thread: Why A Coticule?

If you really want to lose your mind coticules used to cost more than Eschers!!!!

Discuss. Lol

I can't believe that no one has brought up the obvious. Whatever other reasons there are for adopting a coticule, they are simply handier than both oilstones and synthetics. Oilstones need oil, not water to be most efficient and oil isn't always around, it's more messy and stains both wood and clothes. Synthetics are far more fragile than coticules and you have to be careful not to crack them in half with a sharp impact. Add to that fact that all but the finest grade finishing stones need to be soaked in water for a long time prior to honing - a definite disadvantage in using synthetic water stones. So most just keep them in water all the time, which introduces the problem of molds and fungus.

With a coticule, it is just splash some water on the stone and go. No need to soak, no need to be especially careful with them as they hold up to mild abuse very well. You don't even need a slurry stone. You can use them, but you don't need to.

With all those advantages plus the appeal of natural stones vs man made abrasives - except for the price, no reason not to own one or several.

Thanks for that info stonehenge; they are very valid points. I think for myself who would only be honing every so often I would not mind having to soak and dry the synthetics every time but I can see how those who are honing often would benefit more from a coticule. I started this thread since I thought that coticules could give different, specific, and better quality edge on a blade but wasn't sure.

Originally Posted by stonehenge

I can't believe that no one has brought up the obvious. Whatever other reasons there are for adopting a coticule, they are simply handier than both oilstones and synthetics. Oilstones need oil, not water to be most efficient and oil isn't always around, it's more messy and stains both wood and clothes. Synthetics are far more fragile than coticules and you have to be careful not to crack them in half with a sharp impact. Add to that fact that all but the finest grade finishing stones need to be soaked in water for a long time prior to honing - a definite disadvantage in using synthetic water stones. So most just keep them in water all the time, which introduces the problem of molds and fungus.

With a coticule, it is just splash some water on the stone and go. No need to soak, no need to be especially careful with them as they hold up to mild abuse very well. You don't even need a slurry stone. You can use them, but you don't need to.

With all those advantages plus the appeal of natural stones vs man made abrasives - except for the price, no reason not to own one or several.

Nah, this was not all that accurate.

Coticules are NOT the only stones that are splash and go, not even close.
Naniwa SS, Naniwa Chosera, Shaptons and Gokumyos to name but a few.
There are tons of people on here that has attested to that. Me included.

The Norton seems to like the soaking, but as you can see, that ain't exactly the only synth stone out there.

A Coticule for honing without a slurry stone sounds like a tedious task.
As a finisher, I guess it'll work for those who finds it fine enough, but setting a bevel, or just a sharpening on it is for the very patient ones without it.

No reason to not own a Coticule, I have more than one, but seriously, it isn't all that magical a stone.

Originally Posted by stonehenge

I can't believe that no one has brought up the obvious. Whatever other reasons there are for adopting a coticule, they are simply handier than both oilstones and synthetics. Oilstones need oil, not water to be most efficient and oil isn't always around, it's more messy and stains both wood and clothes. Synthetics are far more fragile than coticules and you have to be careful not to crack them in half with a sharp impact. Add to that fact that all but the finest grade finishing stones need to be soaked in water for a long time prior to honing - a definite disadvantage in using synthetic water stones. So most just keep them in water all the time, which introduces the problem of molds and fungus.

With a coticule, it is just splash some water on the stone and go. No need to soak, no need to be especially careful with them as they hold up to mild abuse very well. You don't even need a slurry stone. You can use them, but you don't need to.

With all those advantages plus the appeal of natural stones vs man made abrasives - except for the price, no reason not to own one or several.

There I graded you paper for you, all the red is either plain wrong or mis-informed, or simply misleading... I suggest you do a little more studying and re-take the test at a latter date ... Thank you for trying though

Originally Posted by gssixgun

There I graded you paper for you, all the red is either plain wrong or mis-informed, or simply misleading... I suggest you do a little more studying and re-take the test at a latter date ... Thank you for trying though

LMAO!

obviously a chord has been struck!

Originally Posted by timebomb

Thanks for that info stonehenge; they are very valid points. .

Originally Posted by alb1981

LMAO!

obviously a chord has been struck!

Yep right there was the chord ... Hardly any valid points at all,,, There is a ton of stuff with this hobby that falls under the YMMV rule admittedly but most of that was just way off

Sorry for being so direct... but learning honing is enough of a challenge for most new guys..

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Yep right there was the chord ... Hardly any valid points at all,,, There is a ton of stuff with this hobby that falls under the YMMV rule admittedly but most of that was just way off

Sorry for being so direct... but learning honing is enough of a challenge for most new guys..

YMMV is all too true! I have had my Coti for 8 months and am still trying to get it down pat! I love it and wouldn't get rid of it, but if I were a newb (new to wet shaving, I still consider myself a newb to honing after 9 months and probably will for 9 years) again....I would stay with synthetics all the way. Naturals are cool, but they demand finesse.

Ya know that is a perception, but honestly I can hone out with a Natural in half the time as I can with a set of Naniwas or Shaptons...

But I do run full sets of synthetics so they take awhile,,, I find the finishing very fun on naturals as I said earlier almost a romance, I just finished up a custom Dovo tonight on my Nakayama and that was just way too much fun, working to that beautiful haze finish, can't wait to test shave this one in the morning before sending it home




I think where things get confusing is the Bevel setting stage.. Nothing I have ever used/tried can set a bevel as well as a 1k synthetic, and since that is the trouble spot of honing, that is where the "discussions" tend to go south... People also tend to push their personal favorites, which adds another wrinkle to the mix especially when they haven't used anything else..

I believe you! I have the utmost faith in that lol
I just know that for me, the first time I touched a coti with a razor i thought..."damn did I do anything to this???" and that thought lasted a lot longer than with a synthetic.

Then again I am growing as a wet shaver in a time of boundless information where you and others on here grabbed just a stone and dinked with it until you got a good edge. We (new honer's) should all listen more and talk less