Thread: Charnley Forest vs Escher

Hi, I have a vintage coticule and BBW and I can't make the razor smooth like my razors honed by Larry at wippeddog( thank you Larry).
What stone is better : Charnley Forest or a Escher for finishing after coticule? Or you guys have other suggestion.I did the Unicot method with better results than Dilucot method, but still I am not happy with my edges. I can shave , but is not a smooth shave.My coticule is a very fast cuting one. After just 60 half strokes the slurry is dark. It is perfect for
set up a bevel, cut the hair on my arm , but HHT is not perfect.
thank you

Understand that not all Eschers are equal and neither are all Charnelys, however there has been far more consistency amongst the Eschers that I have tried that that of the Charnleys I have tried. I have used several of each, and can confirm that I'd trust any branded Escher to out perform a coticule, whereas some Charnleys I have used have been en par and coarser than the coticule I have.

My best Escher vs my best Charnley? On most razors, the Escher. On a few, the Charnley. If I could only have 1? The Escher.

Everything up from the 8k range seems to be entirely personal preference.

Originally Posted by Scipio

Snip..... On most razors, the Escher. On a few, the Charnley. If I could only have 1? The Escher.

This pretty much sums up my experience with these 2 fine finishers.

Depends .
Someone has to learn to get out of it is stone.
doesn't matter escher etc.
Someone mentioned before me Eschers are more consistent then Charnley.
(This is may be we have test less C.f compare to Eschers kinda bias)
Some stones will act differently to same steel.
Lets say
i finish razor which is stainly steel my choose will be CF
or i finish carbon blade i will choose Escher.
Lets say you are comparing escher to Japanese stone.
blade is German made i will choose escher.
Blade made in England i will choose Japanese stone.
Do you see how they are different?
+ personal preferences.
There is no one word out there i can use and say this is simple and best.
hope this helps.

Originally Posted by livio

Hi, I have a vintage coticule and BBW and I can't make the razor smooth like my razors honed by Larry at wippeddog( thank you Larry).
What stone is better : Charnley Forest or a Escher for finishing after coticule? Or you guys have other suggestion.I did the Unicot method with better results than Dilucot method, but still I am not happy with my edges. I can shave , but is not a smooth shave.My coticule is a very fast cuting one. After just 60 half strokes the slurry is dark. It is perfect for
set up a bevel, cut the hair on my arm , but HHT is not perfect.
thank you

First of all, don't expect, as a new honer, to get results similar to those produced by someone with experience. Maybe a few months, and a couple of dozen blades from now, if you're a fast learner.

Cutting the hair on your arm (if it is with little to no pressure and all along the bevel) means you have a basic bevel. Great! This is the hardest step. But you are only at the 1K level.

At this point I would follow a Unicot or Dilucot procedure. If you're not familiar with these, just do a search on this site. This should get you through to a shave ready edge. If you, again, are a fast learner, you may be ready to strop and shave, without any other stone purchases. (One caveat -- my "vintage" cotis do not give me as fine an edge as more recently mined ones, but I don't think that's universally true. Some cotis simply don't work well as finishers, however).

Once you can shave effectively and comfortably with a few blades finished this way, and if you want to push things further (and have the $), then I would suggest a Naniwa 12K. You could try an Escher, a Charnley, a J-nat, etc., but I would go with the synthetic. I have a number of natural finishers (most of us are not satisfied until we've exhausted the available stones and our credit limits), but if you can't get a great shave from either your coti or your Naniwa, than the problem is not going to be solved by acquiring more finishing hones.

By all means, start calibrating the HHT to your edges/hair. But don't rely on it for say maybe a couple of years of further practice and experience. If the blade shaves effectively and comfortably, that's all that matters.

My personal preference is for the edges I get off of an Escher but like Dylan said, YMMV.

Thank you for your advices, gents. I think I will try to take my best from
coticule, after all is just a week and 4 razors experience.I understand now
not all the razors respond the same to a method or a stone. I will be creative and try different variations of Unicot and Dilucot, and I will keep
the Escher on my mind, just in case a good deal show up.
Regards
Livio

your last sentance is the key one, see what comes your way. I have two CFs and they are both superb stones, and I was just lucky to come across them, I've never had a chance to pick up an esher, to my knowledge I have never shaved with a razor finished with one - ignorance is bliss and all that.

Which is "Better" the Blond, the Redhead or the Brunette?????

Pretty much the same question