Thread: Coticule producing good results but am searching for that perfect edge

By all means experiment with at least one synthetic finisher many here use and rave about the Naniwa Super Stone 12k not that there aren't better but the price on the Naniwa SS is far less then the quality of the edge it produces


I have a good saying about buying "Better" hones though "No amount of money spent on a finisher can improve the edge more then the time spent honing more razors"

Translated, go hone 100 different razors on yer Coticule the edge will get a ton better plus you will learn the characteristics or many different steels and grinds... You might also find like many of us have, that the real tangible improvements to the shaving edge actually happen at the lower levels of razor honing


ps: to answer your actual question above though I love my Shaptons I think they are one of the easiest most exact systems out there, key being the word systems and I know it is just my opinion but I feel they work the best in a complete system...

Originally Posted by dcaven

After refreshing some razors on a yellow coticule, I am getting a good, close shave but the blade does not glide over my face like it does when sharpened professionally. I am interested in the possibility of adding the Shapton stones in 16k and 30k as finishers. What do you think? I did some research on esher stones and their site indicates they are not compatible with coticule edges. What are your opinions on the Shaptons? Thanks.

I have been a Shapton GS junkie for several years and the main reasoning is that I like what I call a "crisp or semi-crisp" edge. These edges feel as sharp as they are...thus the coined saying "Shapton sharp". My set-up that I use is Chosera 1K, Shapton GS 2,4,8,16, then actually backwards in "grit" to a yellow-green Escher. I do not use slurry. This combination works on any razor of quality steel. Professionally honed razors are most likely honed on synthetic stones to 12 (Naniwa) or 16K (Shapton). These edges will feel just as sharp as they are.

Refreshing on a coticule, especially if you don't have a BBW on the backside to use, can be a labor of love. I've only owned about 10 coticules in my honing time, but I have learned this: They aren't as fast as a synthetic nor as "fine grit" as a finisher like Naniwa 12K or Shapton GS 16K, or the naturals like a quality Thuringian, Charnley Forest, Zulu Grey, and so on.

If you are wanting to learn to touch-up a razor, you might pick up a quality barber hone, Naniwa 12K or Shapton GS 16K. My 16K stays in the bathroom so I can touch-up on the fly.

If you are looking at really learning to hone, pick up a Norton 4/8K, Naniwa 3/8K, or my personal favorite Shapton GS 4&8K. With any of these three "systems", you can build on them & get quality/specific advice. This isn't so with honing with a natural, that is why most all will recommend someone learn to touch-up & hone from synthetics to build a solid foundation.

I think I am going to go with the Naniwa 12k and the Suehiro 20k.

That's a great combination IMO. The 20 k really produces. It had the same softish feel at first as the naniwa, but after using for a while and lapping it, it gets real hard and doesn't need lapping often. They give you a slurry stone with it, its 1k,4k. This is for resurfacing the stone and removing swarf, it works very well. Good luck with it.

I don't find you get uber keen edges from cotis. I have used a few they are tricky stones to learn and can slurry dull. Even when I have had blinding hht results the shave feels butter soft, a kind of delightfull dullness which is very forgiving. I like coticules and prefer these edges, I think that's how they are supposed to be.
A tip if you want to eek out a bit more keeness and keep that smoothness is to max out on coti, go to paddle strop loaded with crox (TI crox is my favourite) say 10 to 20 light laps. Then come back onto coti with lather for 10 laps. Shave see what you get, go another 10 laps on lather till you dial in you smoothness you prefer.

My 10 cents
Joe

Originally Posted by dcaven

I think I am going to go with the Naniwa 12k and the Suehiro 20k.

Can't go wrong with that!

Me personally, I'm fascinated with the different finishers and honing process. Recently I tried my first all natural progression with a blade. After setting the bevel with a Chosera 1K (well, almost all natural progression) I went to the Coti. Slury and diluting. After many laps, I was satisfied with the sharpness to move to my turi. The sharpness improved and the shave was very good, however, not as good as 16k follow by the same turi. But it was very satisfying to be able to get such a shave with only naturals.

My friend Hirlau honed a blade on his Coti for me, and the shave was comparable to my Escher shaves. That tells me two things, that he's a better honer than me and/or that he has a better stone (Coti) than me. I think is both. He told me his Coti reflects a lot of garmets when it catches the light, mine doesn't. And his been at honing longer than I have. As a matter of fact, he gave me the first sit down lesson on honing.

So there! Back to what Hirlau said on his post. Depends on the honer and the stone (specially naturals).

Double O