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Coticule Unicot honing without tape

I think the biggest mistake people make with coticules beyond overcomplicating it is they jump from one continue to another to another a lot of the time before they figure out how to be good with the first one they encounter. I must have had my first one for like 8 months before I got another...
 
In regards to your 1st post my thoughts are simply that not all Coticules yield the same edge regardless of honing skills. My very best can get sharp enough to demand that I’m not asleep at the wheel while shaving. Now the stones that stop a little short of this level of keenness requires a completely different skill set during the shave. I have to use a very carefully executed scything motion but believe me, one false move and…
You get the idea. But if I can pull off that style of shaving the end results can still be stellar.
That is my experience to. When i want to practice my scything motion, this might be something i reach for. I can to some extent compensate by dialling in my prep and lather.
I think it can be misleading when you are just told to learn how to hone.
My two other coticules, an LV and an LGJ is consistently easy to get good edges from, but still they do have their own personalities.
This particular stone from my OP does not suspend the swarf in the slurry like my other coticules. I does not seem like it takes off a lot of steel, but it does. So fast and at the same time fine is a difficult balance. This particular stone does hover give some of the smoothest edges. For someone with less tough beard this type of edge might be just right.
The colour of the swarf in the slurry can in my opinion sometimes give a falls indicator of cutting speed.
 
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I think the biggest mistake people make with coticules beyond overcomplicating it is they jump from one continue to another to another a lot of the time before they figure out how to be good with the first one they encounter. I must have had my first one for like 8 months before I got another...
That might be the case. This coticule i am referring to was my first stone. And i think others can attest to having some coticules that are not the best finishers. The next two stones i picked up was as easy as using a synthetic. They do give slightly different edges, and the feedback is different. If i had to make due with only one stone, there is ways to make it work, but why bother if there is much better and easier alternatives. If you end up with 5 plus stones, you may have to think differently.

I feel like my LV is a good middle ground. It is not hard and glassy. So surface prep and condition is less important. I think the garnets are fine enough to give a good finish. The slurry released from the stone does not seem to impact the edge that much, as appose to my first stone.
My la grosse jaune coticule is a little harder, and cuts slow with water. The surface on this one gives a magnetic sensation and the surface can get reflective, but at the same time it does not get that glassy feel. The edges are also acceptable.

This is a description from Bart at Coticule.be of what i think is the stone i am having issues with:

La Dressante Upper Layer
The part of La Dressante that is not connected to the "lower" BBW part, hence mostly glued to slate. The most variable of all layers. Color can vary from pale to pink. Hues sometimes present in one stone. Manganese lines and dots possible. Manganese hairlines seem to predict very fast performance on slurry. Red, orange and yellow lines possible. Red lines seem to predict (relative) fast speed on water. No surface pattern. La Dressante upper layer has a clear feedback that transitions from textured on slurry to almost icy on water. Speed can vary from moderately slow (rare) to fast (very common) and occasionally very fast.
 
Another thing that I believe would help is to have a bit more clarity in terms of what we mean by “good edge”. I think it would help to to be specific in terms of whether or not we’re talking about a push-cut edge or a draw-cut edge. I suspect most everyone is going after is the effortless push-cut edge. But the stones in question on this thread often (but not always) lend them selves to both at times. The Coticule I’ve been revisiting here lately lends itself overwhelmingly to a draw-cut as a post to the effortless push-cut edge.
 
Another thing that I believe would help is to have a bit more clarity in terms of what we mean by “good edge”. I think it would help to to be specific in terms of whether or not we’re talking about a push-cut edge or a draw-cut edge. I suspect most everyone is going after is the effortless push-cut edge. But the stones in question on this thread often (but not always) lend them selves to both at times. The Coticule I’ve been revisiting here lately lends itself overwhelmingly to a draw-cut as a post to the effortless push-cut edge.
That is a good point. I have sort of tried to tone down some of my edges and tried to focus on the draw-cut approach. I find this helps out my skin. I have now shaved every day for over 6 moths using only a straight razor. I have not been able to do that in the past with those super sharp push-cut edges. In this period i have mainly used full hollow ground razors.
On the heavier ground razors i like to let the razor do most of the work. For me that means having a more keen edge on these, just because i am not comfortable putting in any slicing motion with these blades.

If i only shaved three times a week, like i did in the past, using a "pushed" edge made sense to me. This also factors in. What is your use case. I shave in the morning with small kids in the house, so it needs to be quick and there needs to be some wiggle room.
 
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That is a good point. I have sort of tried to tone done some of my edges and tried to focus on the draw-cut approach. I find this helps out my skin. I have now shaved every day for over 6 moths using only a straight razor. I have not been able to do that in the past with those super sharp push-cut edges. In this period i have mainly used full hollow ground razors.
On the heavier ground razors i like to let the razor do most of the work. For me that means having a more keen edge on these, just because i am not comfortable putting in any slicing motion with these blades.
Yeah, that shaving technique definitely has it’s liabilities…
 
Not sure what you mean by draw vs push cut, can you elaborate?
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I was just thinking about this the other day as the 45° skew approach felt more of a draw than the push, but still pretty much a push.

On second thought, are the cuts you are referring to as on the face or on the hone action?
 
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I was just thinking about this the other day as the 45° skew approach felt more of a draw than the push, but still pretty much a push.

On second thought, are the cuts you are referring to as on the face or on the hone action?
The draw cut is referring to when you shave. Leading with the heel or leading with the toe will create the same effect. A coticule edge is really nice to practice different strokes.
The narrow hone in the OP is only curved along the short axis. If you approach the stone with a skew angle, you can effect the bevel angle by a good margin. It should not be compared to the convex stone. That is a different story:)
 
I think the biggest mistake people make with coticules beyond overcomplicating it is they jump from one continue to another to another a lot of the time before they figure out how to be good with the first one they encounter. I must have had my first one for like 8 months before I got another...
 
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