If you are happy with what you are using now no need to throw more money at the process. I use a coticule on most of my honing but it is not my last hone and I do not use it for touch ups and I almost never use pastes or sprays to finish. I have so many shave ready razors that each one might be used once a year if that. If I feel the desire to 'enhance the edge' I strop on linen or cloth (nylon works well also), strop on a roo strop from SRD that was treated w/ a light coat of CrOx and then strop on leather but this is rare. If I find a razor that isn't up to my current standards of shave ready I drop down to the 4k w/ circles and work back up to my finisher. I really don't have the luxury of time to screw around with my honing any more so I use what I know works best and works w/ the least amount of fuss and time. As noted above, each coticule seems to be unique as are most natural hones. I also find that using coticules requires a lot of testing along the way especially if you are using a slurry. I have found that synthetic hones, C12k's (if you get a good one) and Eschers are a lot more consistent than coticules. In the end, use what you have and learn what to expect from it/them. Throwing more money at a process is a fool's attempt to improve a process if their experience doesn't match the enhancement the tool will bring to the table. If you have the budget, time and interest go for it but don't expect to find the holy grail. To get closer to that end nothing beats personal experience with what you have on hand before you move to the next level. Be patient and pay attention to the smallest of details and you'll get there. Good luck.