What is the right Coticule for starting off?

[dakotaev]

Hi guys,

First of all, thanks for all of the help in this forum, without it I doubt I'd be honing my own razors at all.

Well, I've been using the Norton 1K, 4K/8K for my honing along with ferrous oxide/ chromium oxide supplied by Larry for finishing.

I' feel the edges I'm now getting are equal to or surpassing the ones I've received professionally honed in the past, albeit I can some times take hours or days getting it perfect.

I will soon be ready to take the next step. I'm looking to expand my stone collection and after much though I've decided I would like to try a Coticule.

In your opinion what is the best size combo to go with for someone who is comfortable with the large Norton stones? I'm sure I won't have too much trouble learning to hone on something not quite as wide, what is your personal experience making the transition?

I appreciate all of the feedback in advance.

Thanks!

 

[wdwrx]

My favorite size for ALL my hones now is 1 1/2" x 7".
Even though it seems small compared to those giant 8x3 bench stones, it didn't take long to get used to it, and now that I am used to it, I find that the 8x3 stones just feel way too big.
The 1 1/2" width is plenty wide for straight razors, and the 7" length is just about the perfect length for a good stroke. TBH... I'm thinking even narrower may be even better.

edit: You can't go wrong with a coti, I absolutely love the edges from them. Great choice!

 

[azmark]

That's great to hear you continued success!

Bouts are normally what I prefer because of size and the quality of stones seem to be better.

Common size to start with and I recommend is a 6x2. But since you feel comfortable with rectangular stones I would look into a bout that has been tested or you know the characteristics of.

 

[richmondesi]

That's great to hear you continued success!

Bouts are normally what I prefer because of size and the quality of stones seem to be better.

Common size to start with and I recommend is a 6x2. But since you feel comfortable with rectangular stones I would look into a bout that has been tested or you know the characteristics of.

Mark, I wonder if you have your terms confused. I bout is an irregular shaped stone. I will say that while they are just as good as a rectangular one, they're the same stone depending on the strata (thanks Steve ) they come from.

If you had two different strata coticules that were shaped differently, that may account for your observations, or if you got some from an inconsistent strata, that may be why. However, the only difference in bout and rectangular is the shape.

To the OP, I prefer something on the order of 140mm or 150mm X 40mm or 50 mm

 

[SliceOfLife]

I would warn against buying Bouts sight unseen. Jarrod sells them for better prices than Ardennes AND you know what you're getting. If you want to buy from Ardennes, the best stone/price deal are the 40mm wide Standards. 40x150 for the "value" stone. 40x200 for the rich folk.

 

[azmark]

Mark, I wonder if you have your terms confused. I bout is an irregular shaped stone. I will say that while they are just as good as a rectangular one, they're the same stone depending on the strata (thanks Steve ) they come from.

If you had two different strata coticules that were shaped differently, that may account for your observations, or if you got some from an inconsistent strata, that may be why. However, the only difference in bout and rectangular is the shape.

To the OP, I prefer something on the order of 140mm or 150mm X 40mm or 50 mm

Me confused....pfffff always. I get lazy typing from my phone

You're very correct. I was only using bout as an example because it seems that the stones I've picked up from sales that have came from Bart or Jarrod have been irregular and have been tested. So better meaning only because I know what I'm getting.

I don't see too many 6 x 2 for example get tested from some vendors too often though. I've also haven't been looking too much since I found my LPB and Le Lat's.

 

[danjared]

By Jarrod, Ian means the proprietor of thesuperiorshave.com (which, btw, is IMHO equally worthy of being called thesuperiorcustomerservice.com). He is great to do business with and will help you pick out a nice coticule to learn on. But you also can't go wrong with Ardennes, especially if you email them instead of just using their online shop. The email response time from Ardennes can be slow. Ardennes don't seem to respond on weekends and is extremely busy, although maybe less so now after the Les Latneuses craze and now that mining for the year is just about over (they close the mine for three months during the winter).

I haven't seen anyone mention weight, but I'd like to note that you'll be doing yourself a favor by getting something narrow (40-50mm is a good width) in terms of width, because it means that you can easily hold the hone in your hand without getting tired. That and narrow hones are very versatile when dealing with razors with warps. And in terms of favorite coticule sizes, 40-50mm by 150-200mm seems to be the favorite amongst the "pros", with 40mm x 175mm seeming to be the most favorite. But really, anything will work with enough practice and patience.

 

[dakotaev]

Thanks guys! I soon figure I will be browsing for these coming up on the BST.