I have been looking at some of the hones on E-Bay but I am a little worried about the grade. I bet it is easy to get burned. I would also like a 1.5" X 6" or 8" .
Thanks in advance,
Richard
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I have been looking at some of the hones on E-Bay but I am a little worried about the grade. I bet it is easy to get burned. I would also like a 1.5" X 6" or 8" .
Thanks in advance,
Richard
I've not come across anyone who's taken the risk yet. They may be great, but without seeing them up close i couldn't say. Are they much cheaper than the classifieds & Rob at Ardennes?
I got one barber hone coticul;e off ebay. Great little hone! I also just won another ebay coticule. I'll find out about the quality when it gets here.
But the grade of the hone is not whats important, no, it's owning them, and admiring there beauty, and...HAD? Me? Nah.
I think it depends on the stone and who is selling the stone.
In a recent search I found an ebay store called best sharpening stones. They seem to have a bunch of them. A little cheaper than I've seen so far. I don't know about the quality. They have some dmts and others, too. They make a few references to straight razors, so there is a chance.
eBay Store - Best Sharpening Stones: Belgian Stone, Hone, Whetstone
I wrote the Best Sharpening Stone guy and he assured me they were all "Select" but my problem is I do not know enough about them. Are there different grades within "Select"? Things like that. They certainly look good! I feel myself getting sucked into another AD! :(
Thanks,
Richard
I have had the HAD and ended up with a dozen coticules. Ain't a bad one in the bunch. Some are better then others. What I have found out, tentatively anyway, is that there is not necessarily any difference between a vintage or a recently mined coticule.
I say not necessarily meaning that there may be a difference in color, grade and of course performance but they will both be sedimentary rock formed eons ago regardless of when they were dug out of the ground and processed.
My best one is an 8X3 natural that came from Howard at the Perfect Edge and he got it from Rob at Ardennes. Rob grades them kosher, select and standard. The kosher is only graded as such for cosmetic reasons. It is a pure light yellow in color with no imperfections. The performance potential doesn't enter into the grading. They are significantly more expensive especially if it is a larger rock. My 8x2 is a good hard finisher.
I will stick my neck out and say that for one purpose or another a standard may outperform a select depending on what the end user needs it for. Rob will tell you that some coticules are more suited to razors while others are a better bet for woodworking tools and such. At least that is the way I understand it from reading about them. If you order directly from him you can request a coticule to suit your specific needs.
I used to think that a vintage coticule would be better then the currently mined stuff and individually you may find one that is but it could easily be the other way around like my 8x3. Since Rob has the only mine currently operating that is harvesting coticules if you find a seller on ebay or elsewhere carrying coticules unless it is a vintage piece it originated from Rob's mine. At least that is my best guess.
That store on ebay mentions ardennes a few times. You might be right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycliff200843
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
Sorry for my short answer to this but I'm incredible short on time lately!
We are restarting the quarry after winter to extract new Coticule and other rocks.
But yesterday winter came back, the quarry is covered with 15cm snow.
Damn that Mother Nature anyways!;)Quote:
Originally Posted by ArdennesCoticule
Thanks guys. I ordered one and if you like will send pics if you want. My first so, we shall see. I got a 2X6 with slurry stone and can't wait.
Thanks again,
Richard
I'm no expert, I think you made a good decision. I've been watching the coticules on ebay for a few weeks, and it often seems like they go for as much or more than the ones straight from Ardennes (though not always). Especially the combo stones, they seem to go for almost as much as it would cost to buy bbw and a coticule. Even though the members here seen to have had good luck, I still regard the ebay ones with some suspicion. But, then again, I regard pretty much anything on ebay with some suspicion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete_S
As do I, thus the reason for the post. The gents on this forum are a great source of information when it comes to honing razors. I suspected that there was only one source from my reading but grade is an issue for me because I want to get the biggest bang for the buck, that is my job as CEO of the family!:D
Take Care,
Richard
A follow up. I ordered from Best on Wednesday 3/25 and received a slurry stone and 2X6 Coticlue it on Saturday 3/28. I live in California and the stone started out on the East coust. It is a very pretty stone and lapping took about 5 minutes. I see now why people like this hone it gives very good feedback both by feel and by sound. This vendor was very good and communication was very good. I am liking this, a lot!
Thanks again,
Richard
FWIW I have a BBW/Coticule natural combo from best sharpening stones, and so far it is doing very well.
Any thoughts on the hardness of the stones you all bought? I know each stone will be different, but I am still curious.
I bought the Yellow Coticule so it tends to be a little softer. I really like mine, it is about medium and is very close to a stone that I used a couple of weeks back. It is a very nice stone.
Later,
Richard
wanted to update this info after running my "best sharpening stones" (ebay vendor) coticule/bbw combo through a few more razors.
After taking 6 razors through this progression (1200 diamond, BBW, Coti)...
The yellow that I got is a pretty hard and fast cutter, and it puts a great edge on a razor... the BBW does what it needs to, but the real star is the coticule (in my combo anyways). Hope this helps...
I too should update. The Coticule is really a very wonderful stone. I have had nothing but outstanding shaves since I got it. Acquiring this stone has just put me into another realm of shaving and I like it, a lot. I finish with a 16k then the diamond pastes and then Chromium. It is a very smooth shave.
Take Care,
Richard