Thread: Coticules: Hard or Soft?

Hey all, I currently have one coticule I use to put the final polish on my razors. It's fairly narrow so I'm thinking of springing for a larger one (maybe 2" x 6" or 8"). I will use the coticule mainly for finishing razors, and I just have one question pertaining to the qualities of coticules: Is a harder or softer coticule preferred for putting the final polish on a razor? If I do get the extra coticule I will order it through Ardennes Coticule directly so I can specify the hardness I prefer. Anyone with some insight into this question, possibly because you have multiple coticules, is welcome to participate! Thanks for all the help, as always, Dave

When you order from Ardennes Coticule, tell them that you want it for a razor and they will find you one for the job.

There was a thread that I shall try and find where Rob from AC said as much. It also said what type of stone is best - I think it's soft - but I will need to find it to make sure!

Found it! - Coticule kosher

This my friend indeed is very important!!!
Wood workers need very hard stones, straight razor users want soft stones.
So when ordering from us always tell us the purpose of the stone you are buying!
There's a comment text box at the check out of our online shop.

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

Chris hit the nail on the head. I too have a number of them from vintage to current and I have the same take on it. As has been said before, tell Rob what you want to accomplish with it and he will select the appropriate hone for you.

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

Make that 4 cents.

The harder the coticule the better it polishes. But for the hardest buggers of them all, you really need good honing skills to create the superior edge that will allow them to reveal their advantages as a super polisher. You can actually step up in hardness. That's how they did it in the old days. Get a good bevel on a soft and rapid Coticule and polish that on a harder one.

Bart.

I'll stick my neck out here and say that talking about hard and soft Coticules is like talking about gold. As the K weight goes down the gold is really less and less gold and goes from solid gold to gold alloy. A good coticule is a good coticule and is a hard one. When you talk about a soft one it kind of like going to 10K gold. It may very well have its uses in the honing process but if you want a quality Coticule its the hard one you want.

Thanks for the advice.

So it seems that for polishing purposes a harder coticule is what I need. I wish they weren't so expensive though! But so nice.....

Dave

Originally Posted by StraightRazorDave

Thanks for the advice.

So it seems that for polishing purposes a harder coticule is what I need. I wish they weren't so expensive though! But so nice.....

Dave

I had an old barber back in the eighties tell me that he liked a coticule that he could scratch with his fingernail. In retrospect I suppose he wanted a fast cutter so he could quickly put on an edge. The same guy told me that you could over strop a razor so obviously just being an old barber doesn't necessarily mean you know what you are talking about.

Being a HADdict I have four coticules. Two are medium, one is fairly hard but cuts fast with slurry and one is hard. The last one is a great polisher but you can do fine with a Chinese 12K or a 16k glassStone for example. No need to fall down the slippery slope of HAD.

Reading all this I am still unsure why Ardenne's for example would suggest softer stones for razors.