Originally Posted by
woodsmandave
I have been advised to try shaving off the 4k, but alas, I have not done so - yet. I hate to blame the coticule, as I obtained a very similar level of final sharpness of a kitayama (8k-12k) hone prior to purchasing the coticule. I just can't seem to get that final "edge" that I need. Back to your questions, the slurry will get darker, but not dark. On hollow grind blades, the blade will "stick" when on the coticule with just water. I have about 10 razors currently in my rotation. I have only 2 that I can shave with right off the hone. One is an 11/8 WM Jackson hollow grind, one is a joseph rodgers 8/8 wedge. The rest always require paste. that includes a new dovo and a dubl duck. Most of the rest of the blades are some grind of wedge.