There is much discussion about coticule layers here on the forum, for which I am grateful for the open share of quite accurate and useful information. I have learned so much over the years, and without this resource, I believe that I would still be in the dark in many respects on the topic of coticules.
I have tried many of the layers for sharpening of my straight razors, but have come to the conclusion that there are really 3 awesome layers that I should have focused more attention on in the beginning of my coticule journey. This would have saved me some heartache and grief, not to mention $100's of dollars. So, what have I discovered after many, many hours honing on coticules?
In no particular order, I have found the most efficient layers (speed under thick to thin slurry and water) to be --> Les Latneuse (LL), La Veinette (LV), and La Petite Blanche (LPB). In fact these three are so good, that I pretty much ignore the other stones at my bench, relegating them to "finicky" status and not worth the time. I kinda feel guilty about that because ALL of them can and have produced phenomenal edges. Even though the methods on each of the stones is slightly different, all three can take a nasty or even a damaged edge on any razor of just about any quality from bevel set to mirror edge in a little less than 10 minutes. Don't get me wrong, I love the honing process and have the time to do it (like, if I wanted to use another layer not named above), but from an efficiency standpoint, I haven't found any other layers that can compete with my LL's, LV's, and my one LPB. Here is a pic of my top 3 which I use ALL THE TIME. They are simply wonderful stones! Left to right groups are LL, LV, and finally my only LPB.
I have tried many of the layers for sharpening of my straight razors, but have come to the conclusion that there are really 3 awesome layers that I should have focused more attention on in the beginning of my coticule journey. This would have saved me some heartache and grief, not to mention $100's of dollars. So, what have I discovered after many, many hours honing on coticules?
In no particular order, I have found the most efficient layers (speed under thick to thin slurry and water) to be --> Les Latneuse (LL), La Veinette (LV), and La Petite Blanche (LPB). In fact these three are so good, that I pretty much ignore the other stones at my bench, relegating them to "finicky" status and not worth the time. I kinda feel guilty about that because ALL of them can and have produced phenomenal edges. Even though the methods on each of the stones is slightly different, all three can take a nasty or even a damaged edge on any razor of just about any quality from bevel set to mirror edge in a little less than 10 minutes. Don't get me wrong, I love the honing process and have the time to do it (like, if I wanted to use another layer not named above), but from an efficiency standpoint, I haven't found any other layers that can compete with my LL's, LV's, and my one LPB. Here is a pic of my top 3 which I use ALL THE TIME. They are simply wonderful stones! Left to right groups are LL, LV, and finally my only LPB.