Yet another coticules for idiots thread
- Thread starter captaincaed
- Start date
Awesome! I can't wait to hear how the shave goes, I imagine very buttery and good. I like coticules for daily shaving, I can shave every day and be bbs with these edges no worries.
I’d be interested to know if there are any benefits to Coticules over other stones from those that are able to achieve good results. From the thread this seems to be one of the tricker paths to a good shaving edge. Are there any benefits for the extra effort?
When done right they're the skin-friendliest edge I've used. YMMV, probably.
For me, to date, they have been as good as my better JNat edges; not as good as my great ones, but pretty close. The big difference for me is that the coticules I have require a lot more time and effort, teasing out an edge.
I have no doubt I'll get better and the results will be quicker, more consistent. But I doubt that they'll ever exceed my best JNat work.
But, for me, it is not just about the edge: getting there is a huge part of it now, so I don't mind the odd detour and the interesting sights along the way that learning coticules provides.
Amen brother. I am life long Hunters, my #1 obsession. For me it’s all about the chase, the kill is the end to the adventure. The joy is in the journey.
I wouldn't say it's extra effort if anything once you get them the complete opposite. Could probably do a faster honing seccion on one coticule than various different stones and still get the same result, for example going from that 5k to coticule I can do the same with just one coticule stone but faster and without having to change between 3 different stones, the only extra effort is learning the stone but when we learn jnats or synthetics we don't say "extra effort" it seems like we only discriminate with coticules hehehe maybe they deserve it
other than that tho I would say no other finisher gets that buttery smooth shave as a coticule can give, each stone has character, jnats can be smooth close to a coticule but never the same just as a coticule can be close to a jnat in keenness but never the same.Truth
I wouldn't say it's extra effort if anything once you get them the complete opposite. Could probably do a faster honing seccion on one coticule than various different stones and still get the same result, for example going from that 5k to coticule I can do the same with just one coticule stone but faster and without having to change between 3 different stones, the only extra effort is learning the stone but when we learn jnats or synthetics we don't say "extra effort" it seems like we only discriminate with coticules hehehe maybe they deserve it
I completely agree with most of this. I can honestly say I can hone razor on a coticule a lot faster than I can on a synthetic progression. Sometimes I actually like taking the time to do so.
I don’t necessarily agree a coticule can’t match a Jnat in keenness. With the right stone and the skill it most certainly can be done.
Yes, I was just saying that at my current skill level. I've no doubt over time they'll all just turn into stones. But at the moment, some have more magic than others!
For me, it's the joy of creating the edge and then using the edge that I created. I am less focused on the pros and cons of the different types of edges. Last year, I spent a couple of months only using my hard black Ark with oil because that's what I wanted to use.
If I put my analytic hat on, I would say that learning how to get good edges from an Ark, Coticule, JNAT, Thuri, etc. is only going to improve your honing skills.
Jumping around will make you more well rounded but I don’t think it necessarily improves your results. I get the best results when I dedicate myself to one method exclusively for a period of time. It gets progressively harder for me to drop back down the learning curve with a new method when I am already getting good results with another. There would have to be a good reason for me to make that investment. Life is too short for mediocre shaves but I admit that sometimes it can pay off to try something new.
Your Jnat comparison seems to be a common consensus. As I am already heavily invested in Jnats it is probably best for me to stay there and avoid spreading myself too thin.
Skin feel. When you nail a coticule edge it will be as sharp as the best of any other natural stone, but gives a weird sensation like it doesn't want to cut or irritate your skin. Im not sure why, but a good coti edge just feels more comfortable than a lot of other edges.
It's perfect for daily shavers
So, looking back at my previous coticule attempts, I think I can see where my pitfalls are. I'm talking about slurry specifically here. I can get consistently good results on mine using oil and judicious pressure, it's got a surprising amount of range when used like that.
Back to slurry. My pitfalls are: not diluting gradually enough, handling the transition to water only properly, and then handling the final finish properly. If I miss any of those, I'm kind of screwed. Rick's explanation really helped. I'm still figuring out how to read the feedback especially towards the end of the dilutions... so doing a preset number of laps is kind of insurance to make sure I get there. Of course I still have to shave test this last one. The first one I tried with Rick's method was just ok in spite of good HHT.
Back to slurry. My pitfalls are: not diluting gradually enough, handling the transition to water only properly, and then handling the final finish properly. If I miss any of those, I'm kind of screwed. Rick's explanation really helped. I'm still figuring out how to read the feedback especially towards the end of the dilutions... so doing a preset number of laps is kind of insurance to make sure I get there. Of course I still have to shave test this last one. The first one I tried with Rick's method was just ok in spite of good HHT.
Me too, I got some great ones from time to time but never could figure out what I did right. The difference is if I miss on the coticule, I really miss. On other stones (synths, arks, Jnat) it's been easier to see where I went wrong and easier to fix.
When you use slurry you are also polishing the surface. Some stones can loose allot of it's cutting ability as you move to water.
One solution can be to use your slurry stone just to work the surface to get the stone more active again. Just rinse off that slurry and start your water only passes from there.
Another solution is to gradually taper down your pressure. If you are at mosquito wing pressure at this stage you might consider adding more pressure before dropping the pressure again.
Norwegian mosquitos are ginormous. So, my mosquito wing pressure might be different from yours
I think this is very dependent on the coticule you have vs the other naturals in your collection. The coticule I have is great at quick touch ups. Just some water only laps and it would bring my edges back to life. It has a good level of refinement with good speed compared to some other naturals. Slurry helps and is a great tool for the touch up process as well.
When using a full progression, jnats always give me the best edge. Arks offer a different flavor with proper set up. My coticule almost gets up there, but also requires less base work. It also makes a great stone to use before the ark.
With all that noted though, saying they ( or other naturals) are faster than synthetics is a big exaggeration.
