Thread: Why do I need a Coticle?

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

To save a lot of posts and getting a lot of these http://straightrazorpalace.com/images/smilies/nono.gif, I know I don't need one, but I also don't need 24 razors, and growing. What I'm looking for is, what do I gain from one. I use Naniwa 1,3,5,8,10,12k on some razors and Norton combos on others and, all lapped with DMT and do touch up on a Franz Swaty sometimes. Also, rarely, but occasionally will call on the 12k Shapton. I'm getting good results, but what would a coticle bring to the table. Like most of us AD suffers, I'm always after that little extra if it actually makes a difference. Second part: With stones varying, even in the select grade, how do you get a good "razor" one without just rolling the $300 to $450 dice? Thanks in advance!!

Howard

With your set of man made hones you clearly do not need a coticule.

It is true that a coticule gives some people a smoother shave
but not all people. The magic of a coti is that you can hone
to almost any degree of finish. The garnets break down and
get finer and finer up to a point. Since the garnets are soft compared
to modern abrasives they interact with the steel differently. IMO they
end up smoothing it rather than cutting it.

Using a Na12k hone lightly once a month works better for me.

For +30 years I lived with three razors and one hone (a coti) and
when used gently much like a barber hone worked very well.
The Naniwa hones (to 12k) take the game to a new level and my coti
gets to see daylight on rare occasions.