I got my razor back from mjsorkin and shaved with it today. We did a little experiment with my Coticule because I wasn't satisfied with the edges I was getting. I sent him the razor and the Coticule and he honed it for me. I have to say the edge was very mellow and it gave me a good shave. I thought it would because it passed my HHT, "my" Coticule edges did not. I can see why people like the mellow Coticule edges so much and I felt very "safe" while I was shaving . While I was shaving my chin, the razor skipped and hit my chin (my fault not the edge's fault). I was expecting to see blood but to my surprise...nothing, not even a mark. If I was using a Naniwa edge I think I would've cut myself.

This is what I think about Coticule vs Naniwa edges. Naniwa edges are just sharper (but smooth) and because of that they give me closer shaves but you got to be a lot more careful. The Coticule edge is a joy to use. The mellow edge isn't scary and it feels better than the Naniwa edge but the shave isn't as close. I guess that's the trade off.

I got 2 questions for you hard-core Coticule users. Are "half-strokes" very important while using a Coticule? How many use paste after using your Coticule?

Thanks mjsorkin for giving me a goal to try to reach.