Thread: Help with choosing my next coticule

Hello, it's been a while since I've posted on the forum, but I've been reading almost non stop since I've joined. I must say that I've always enjoyed honing razors a lot more than I do shaving with them, that being said, I still enjoy the entire process and thank all of you for the info and cool pictures!

so I have one coticule that I bought off eBay a while back, however I'm not impressed with it by any means. I don't think my particular stone was selected particularly for straights. I kind of had the feeling it wasn't going to perform being that the price for this new stone was so cheap. You get what you pay for I guess. Ive been using a friends coticule and the thing just feels so good when honing on it

tonight I've been checking out the superior shave site, and checking out all the stones they have for sale. I can't really tell which are the premium grade stones and which ones are not. I can tell by the color of the stones that they all seem pretty different from one another. So my question is can somebody help me choose a stone that is ideal for straights? I prefer using the coticule from start to finish, so that is the type of stone I'm looking for.

thanks in advance

Originally Posted by bwatte

tonight I've been checking out the superior shave site, and checking out all the stones they have for sale. I can't really tell which are the premium grade stones and which ones are not. I can tell by the color of the stones that they all seem pretty different from one another. So my question is can somebody help me choose a stone that is ideal for straights? I prefer using the coticule from start to finish, so that is the type of stone I'm looking for.

thanks in advance

Oh, if only it was that easy! I don't believe there's a single member here that will claim to recommend a coticule based on a picture, claimed vein, color, or what ever and tell you that it's a good stone. They're just too diverse, and the names have gone with time to guessing and conjecture.

The only way to get a good stone is to buy it from a known trusted source that has used and can tell you what the stone will do. Other than that, it's a crap shoot and the odds are with the house. I'd keep an eye on the classifieds here and wait for the right person to post the stone that sounds like what you want, and then ask questions!!

Regards,

Howard

Jarrod from TSS is always plenty helpful if you email him.

It appears that the older deep rock coti's are the ones what are most sought after. Most coti's are good, but to get those great ones is something that I have yet to find. Find someone who will guarantee the stone & if you don't like it you can return it.

It is a crap shoot, and Coticules are the biggest gamble, second to the overpriced Jnat. First and Foremost, remember, Vendors want you to buy their stones, Of course they're helpful. Educate yourself. Find out what the return policy is. Most guys go through several Coticules before they find one, or two that they like. I myself use two (If I use a Coticule) I use a Dressante to start and a La Nouvelle to finish. I didn't find them right away either, I went through the long painful process of buying Coticules. If I were to buy one today, I'd look for a vintage Coticule. +1 on the deep rocks Coti's.

With all the stones out there, Synthetic and Natural. Ask yourself, why do you want a Coticule? The edges they produce are OK, but knowing what I know now. They wouldn't be my first choice. The Shapton GS series would be.
They're faster, and more consistent.

Don't get me wrong, I do like my Coticules, It's just so hard to get a good one right off the bat, and I would dread doing that all over again.

Thanks for the help. I thought that there might be a way to pick one out based on type and colors etc, but I do realize that it is always a crap shoot.

I guess I just like the idea that it is a natural stone, and that you can use the thing from start to finish depending on how much and heavy the slurry is. Those two main things have always been interesting to me. I'm sure there are other stones out there that do the job better and more efficient than a coticule, but I'm not really looking for a finishing stone specifically. The coti just really intrigues me and I'd like to have a stone that I can use from start to finish.

Are there any other stones out their that can fill this roll, being a single stone?

Thank you and have a great weekend

You could use a translucent arkansas from start to finish if you wanted, if you are willing to scuff one of the sides. Same with a black arkansas, same with the chinese hone (if you're willing to slurry it, it's fairly coarse and fast), same with almost any natural stone that has particles that aren't too hard (and none of them do have particles that hard, I guess) and a binder strong enough to hold the particles in place. If you get down to it with particles, none of the natural stones really have particles that fine when you start comparing them to powder and super fine synthetics.

I'm sure there are good new coticules but right now I have 3, a deep rock natural combo, a very hard vintage natural combo from a member on here, and a new lagrise combo. Part of the problem is that lagrise is sort of a rubbery feeling stone, so maybe I don't have a good view of the new ones. The only way I could have a high opinion of it would be if I didn't have the other two stones.

What I would do, though is buy them until you get what you want. Resell the ones you don't like.

I think you can probably save a little by buying vintage and not being too particular about perfect shape, and decide whether you like a stone that's a little wider or one that's longer and narrower. If you buy long and wide (2 1/2"+), you're probably going to end up with some really expensive stones you don't like that much.

Gssixgun and Lynn have both done videos where they use one stone (after bevel setting) to hone start to finish. In those videos they have used c-nat, escher, coticule, etc. Seems like any stone that can be used to make a slurry can be used in this way.

Coticules are a bit controversial. Some people swear they are an all purpose stone, and that each of them can leave a good shaving edge. Others consider them of limited utility, and not fine enough.

That being said, It's pretty easy to buy a reasonably priced stone and find one that leaves a nice edge on a razor.

Jarrod is a bit of a character, and he is not a friend of this site. However he will happily talk to you on the phone and answer questions. I'm sure if you call him, and tell him what you like about your friends coticule, he will help you find one with similar qualities.

Michael

You might try

Lynn himself at SRD since he was stocking Coticules
also
Howard at The Perfect Edge has probably forgot more about coticules then most have ever known

Big +1 to Howard and Lynn when it comes to Coticules. I bought my first Coticule off Howard at The Perfect Edge.