Quote Originally Posted by jerrybyers View Post
Have you tried to shave after the 4k? Is it about the same as after the coticule? I'm thinking it's your coticule and not the bevel.

Does your slurry get dark on the coticule? Is the blade tending to stick when you get towards all water? You may have to play with slurry amounts.

How many razors are you shaving with? If more than one, do they all pull?
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.