Originally Posted by
Chris L
I have a handful of vintage and recently mined coticules and have been fortunate enough to have coticules in every range of the soft, medium and hard spectrum. I do not prefer a truly soft coticule for final polishing. A truly soft coticule is one that creates slurry on its own very very easily and cuts very quickly; we're talking steel swarf being evident on the coti surface in less than 10 passes. I love that stone because it cuts like a banshee. However, because it cuts that fast, it doesn't polish and put a truly keen edge on my razors like a medium or hard coticule with water only does.
I think that's the key, I want water only on my final coti polish. I can't get that with a truly soft coticule because those stones create slurry whether I like it or not.
My own personal preference is a medium coticule for polishing. I've got a very hard coticule, and it's nice, but it's a bit boring in that it's slow and is more like honing on glass; it would NEVER create a slurry on its own.
Just my 2 cents
Chris L