Thread: Coticule size vs Natural combo

Hi Bob,
The blue side of a natural coticule is fun to play with. If you are on a budget you should go with a glued to slate coticule and skip the blue. The blue side is nice but much slower. Most of my razors i can get shave ready in 10 minutes to a half hour. although i have a 200x75 mm what i use every other day is a 150x50. My ideal size would be a 175x 40. Once you get to honing you will find that it is really about you and your skill progression not so much the rock you are using.

Another option might be getting a glued to slate coticule and then getting just a plain Blue Belgian stone like a 100 x 40. Another good option would be a bout. There are no rules that say a hone must be rectangular. If i could only have on stone i probably would not want one shorter than 150mm but a 125 would be fine.

If i had $100 i would get a 150x40 glued to slate coticule and a 150x40 BBW. The worst that can happen is you find a coticule is not for you in which case you can sell it for probably the same price you bought it for and use the BBW for your knives.

I have several natural combos and to be honest i almost never use the blue side. From a functional point of view the blue side is not needed. However a natural combination stone rocks twice as hard as a glued to slate if you know what i mean

regards,
m.a.d.

Originally Posted by madiaz

However a natural combination stone rocks twice as hard as a glued to slate if you know what i mean

+1, I have to say I agree, even though I've gotten away from using the blue. As an object of art, which for me, a natural coticule is, they are just a lovely thing to behold, to handle and hone a razor on. YMMV.

I was the coticule under-acheiver for a dang long time. I get fine edges now with them, but it took more blades to learn than others.

I absolutely agree that synthetics come first - then whatever your heart desires and wallet tolerates.

As to natural combo - 2 of the 3 I have are naturals. I found it easier to get the sharpness on the BBW, using a technique I learned elsewhere. Sharpness was close to that of a Naniwa 12k, using spine-leading strokes on a very light slurry. The resulting edge was more crispy/harsh than I prefer, but then you can use the Yellow side to bring back the smoothness.

I like the natural combo. I can do almost anything that I want with one short of restoring a wrecked blade. BBW with slurry makes for a quick keen edge and then the coticule side smooths and enhances.

I have to admit that my face prefers me to follow the BBW/Coti routine with a 16K Shapton glass stone.

I use both my coti sides..blue/yellow..I find it provides a bit more keeness than going on yellow side alone..YMMV

Thank you for your replies. It seems like some are saying that the larger size is better, but there are others that seem to be saying that there is validation in getting a BBW as well. Would the small size of the affordable natural be too small though to do a minor restoration?

Originally Posted by BobK

Thank you for your replies. It seems like some are saying that the larger size is better, but there are others that seem to be saying that there is validation in getting a BBW as well. Would the small size of the affordable natural be too small though to do a minor restoration?

Theoretically no, but you may be straining the bounds of practicality. I think you'd be likely to get frustrated trying to do something that approached "restoration" with a smallish coticule, even a fast one. My biggest coticule is 7 inches long and I can set a bevel on it, but would prefer not to in most cases.

In my opinion, it's really nice to have a coarser hone to do some heavier work. If you're an ebayer, you may be able to obtain a natural combination stone with some dough left over in your budget for a coarser hone. DMTs, for instance, work well in that regard, though they aren't by any means cheap. They are sold in 6x2 handheld varieties which I've found work quite well for me and can save a few dollars compared to the 8x3 behemoths.

For what it's worth, I've recently started using my BBW in conjunction with the yellow more often and I've been enjoying great results.