I'm actually thinking way ahead of myself here since I'm still very much a newbie and not yet ready for honing.

That said, I've been sucked into this hobby and, even though I might be a long way off needing/affording a hone, I'm already thinking about which ones I should get and in which order!

I've read through various posts and wiki entries and already learnt a lot. I've also watched plenty of videos, which have only served to increase my interest. However, I'm still a little confused on a couple of points.

One of the things I'm confused about is the coticule. Some people talk as if this is only good for finishing/polishing - is that correct? What about with a slurry? Would a coticule, moving from slurry to water via a medium slurry stage, get the job done, or would one still need a coarser stone and/or a finer finishing stone? Are coticule too variable between stones to be reliable?

I had been thinking of getting a coticule at some point in the future (mostly inspired by Lynn's video on using them) and then, when I'm better at the whole honing thing, getter a coarser stone or two for use before the coticule. Am I mixed up or does that sound like a reasonable progression?