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Coticule selection offer

Bart

Well-Known Member
Gentlemen,

Unless the weather or some other mishap prevents it, I have arranged to visit Ardennes Coticule on the 21th of januari.

Usually, I have about a dozen hones tested and add to the Vault everytime I travel to Ardennes. But last time I was there (during the Coticule weekend in September) I didn't bring new hones for the Vault with me, because I wanted to take a break from the fixed test routines dictated by that kind of assessment.
I had 4 Coticules left at home for testing, of which one of them is already sold to a dear friend, another one is a heavy 200X60 Les Latneuses that will be published in the Vault one of the next days, there's a triangular bout of La Dressante and finally one that I haven't even touched with a razor yet and don't recall the layer it is from.


For this reason, I have decided, this once only, out of appreciation for our little Coticule loving community here, that I will accept "orders" for Coticules.

I'll do my very best to select 15 Coticules from Ardennes's stock, according to the wishes of 15 members that post in this thread. Members with a "+1" sign at their moniker receive priority. After that, post count decides, should there be more than 15 requests.

I'll take my scope, razors, and HHT-hair with me, and use all my experience to make the best possible selection I can.

Some rules apply:
1. Please note that you are eventually buying the Coticule from Ardennes. I will write your name on yours and Ardennes will take it from there. I don't have any personal gain in this endeavor.

2. I won't take orders for Coticules larger than 50mm wide and longer than 175mm, since I know that Ardennes always has large orders they can't ship out, simply because they're short supplied of the large hones that still need to complete those orders. Hence I won't deprive them of their business, by selecting large hones. I'll have way more liberty of picking what you need, if I can choose from their smaller hones anyway, and for razor honing large Coticules are a of no advantage whatsoever.
But of course, you are free to state size preferences within said limits.

3. I don't bother with select/standard, as they have nothing to do with performance. If I find the hone that ideally suits your wishes, and it's a standard one, the price will be sweeter.
Please feel free to state a maximum price. I will not got over it, but may stay well below it.

4. I strongle advice you not to pin me on a layer name. If you insist, I will honor a layer request, if Ardennes has it on stock, but it would be a pity if I found the perfect hone for you and couldn't select is because the layer doesn't quite check out.
Of course, if there's a particular layer you don't want, because you already have one of it, feel free to exclude it.

5. Let me know as detailed as possibe what you are looking for. Maybe you like black lines, a thick Coticule slice, red stripes? A fast stone? A mellow finisher? One that easily yields good keenness? One that "autoslurries"? A combination stone?
Wathever, but do realize that some of these features are based on extremely small differences and that not all properties combine. I've never come accros a mellow finisher that didn't demand the proper skills to get enough keenness out of it.

6. After I made the selection, I'll line them all up and shoot pictures, that I'll post in this thread. At that point you can decide to back out, but I do beg you not to enlist unless you really intent buying a Coticule.

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
I probably wont stand a chance since i have so much to read in this merveilleux forum.
all of the responces to my questions are here if we take the time to read the threads... anyway if by any chance theres a cuticule available...i will be more then happy to welcome it as my first cuticule.

congrats for a well inform forum and please continu your fantastic work.

adri
 
I'll be honest and say that I've been wanting a La Veinette (of any size, but preferably larger than 100mm x 40mm, albeit my ideal size is 175x40), bout or rectangular with blushes or those beautiful criss-cross lines. I will take a back seat if there are lots of requests, though.
 
Bart, I have longed for a La Petite Blanche. Number 68 in the the vault is the most beautiful stone I have ever seen. If there is another stone like that one at Ardennes I would love to have it. 40mm x 150mm would be ideal (bouts are way cool, too).

I am fairly certain you will be inundated with requests, if this is the case please feel free to remove my name from the list to let others have a chance.

Respectfully,
Jeremy
 
Bart,
If successful, I'd like to request a combination stone that easily yields good keenness and is of a decent size. ie; around 175 x 40 mm.
Or, a nice Le Petite Blanche.
In other words, quite long, but not too narrow.
Budget isn't an issue.

I already have a La Dressante, Les Latneuses and a La Nouvelle Veine.

Thankyou for your time and efforts.

Respectfully,
David.
 
I'm a total noob here, so I don't know if I'm entitled to participate on this offer. :-/

If I qualify, I want to say that this will be my first coticule, so I don't know much about layers or speed or other special characteristics, please choose one suitable for a newbie who wants to learn. The size, a standard 150x50 I guess.

Thanks Bart for this offer.

Kind regards.

UPDATE: This is embarrassing :blush: Just after posting this message I've been told that a local dealer next to my home imports cotis directly from Ardennes. A quick drive to his facility and I have a coti in front of me right now, and quite cheap indeed.
My apologies, I step down from this offer so other people without cotis can have their chance.

Sorry for the noise.
 
This is a very kind offer, Bart, and if selected, I would be interested in an interesting (color or pattern) bout of more rectangular shape with the properties of a mellow finisher. But, if there are too many responses, I will defer to those looking to purchase their first stone, as I already have two, and I'd like for others to experience some of the enjoyment I've had with mine.
 
Bart, that is a very kind offer. You have already done me several favors and I have more stones than anyone should. With that said, I would love to have one you picked out. I am looking for a super smooth finisher, combination stone that is narrow and not necessarily long, 25-40mm X anything. Particularly, a stone that is +++ off slurry or "nec plus ultra" ala #29 in the vault. The key to me is that it be one that you really like. As others have said, I would like to place my request at the bottom of this list, despite +1 status, or for a future visit as I have a complete arsenal already.

You are a good man, Bart. Denny
 
I would like a faster finisher than my Le Veinette, I do love the tiny la Petite Blanche I have so that may be a good choice, either way I am very happy for you to choose something for me, the only problem I have is budget, around £80

Many thanks Sir Bart and sorry for any badly spelled layers, I should know better but my French sucks..lol

Ralfson (Dr)
 
Bart,

Thanks for making this service available.

As you know I'm a La Petite Blanche-ophile. If you run across any that are extraordinarily figured (a la #68 from the vault), or if you run into a cool coffin shaped one, I would be interested.

There would be no need to test it, and I don't want you to even dig through anything on my behalf. But, if you happen to notice one like that, I would be interested.

Or if you find one (not necessarily LPB) that has a powder blue color mixed in with a pink, I'd be interested in that as well...

I'm very seriously contemplating trading off all my others and having a pseudo-collection of LPBs.

Thanks, and again, I don't want you to evaluate anything for me there... Just keep an eye out, if you don't mind. And don't really dig either.

Warm regards,

Paul
 
Wow Bart - Nice offer!

I know my post count is low, but I'll throw in what I''m looking for.

I would like a La Veinette or LPB in ideally a size of around 40x150-175mm. Basically I'm looking for a fast stone to do the Dilucot on to get me to my other finishers faster. How it finishes directly on the coticule is not a concern (I already have a La Grise (sp?) I think that is a fine finisher, but it dreadfully slow with slurry and dilucot). Right now I'm using a 35x140mm one for the dilucot that works great, but I just want something a bit bigger.

Really I just want one of those with those nice blue speckles throughout (typical of the LPB vein) that is fast - layer is not that much of a concern. Really just like how the blue speckled ones look. My maximum budget is around $150-175, but anything less would be that much sweeter.

Thanks for the kind offer and I hope that I'm a lucky one that gets one picked! :thumbup:

Regards,
Joe
 
Bart, It's great of you to offer your service in this way;

not sure if I'm eligible, but in case I am, I would appreciate a coticule most suitable for Dilucot method resulting in an edge towards the mellow side;

I have two current coticules - one a bout from TheInvisibleEdge which seems to cut fast but is small and awkward in size, and one from your "coticule vault" - a "La Verte", number 30 on previous listing which is very slow;

I would prefer long rather than wide, but am very happy to leave size/shape to your best judgement;

finally, I would prefer cost to be no greater than £80, max. (of course, cheaper is better!)

Very many thanks, and all the best,


Stuart
 
Thanks very much, Bart, for your most kind offer.

I would really appreciate getting a Coticule, and like several people here, I am going to have to rely on you to select something for me. In my case that is because of my relative inexperience. I still have to go the vault and search through to pictures there to make sense of the names of veins being bandied around. :confused:

So, I will just say, I will be delighted if you get me something interesting or unique that we can talk more about, or I can do follow up by reporting here.

The following is mostly to slightly help you to focus about my attributes. I hope they would not constrain you. My face hair is pretty thick (each hair, not density)) and bristle like, I think - so, keenness may be an advantage. I am also an obsolete, and non-practicing, engineer, so not scared of picking up a new skill (although I will never be able to match the dazzling expertise of some artists in the forum). You might consider 100€ as my maximum budget, lower will be better, of course. That is all. Sincere thanks. :w00t:
 
Bart, what would a stone like #64 run with the new pricing scheme? I'm thinking I would like to try another Coticule, something around that size, Les Latneuse or otherwise.

Justin
 
Hi Bart!

This is very generous of you :thumbup:

If possible, I'd very much like to find a small finisher.
About 2,5-3 cm wide & 10 cm length. O there abouts.
I have a sweet spot for old English wedges & they are often crooked
& a narrow stone is the right thing for those.
I all ready have the No1 in the vault for everything else but I sure would like a small hone that finishes excellent.

So in short;
A small, narrow coticule, layer or apperance doesn't matter.
The most important is that it is a really nice finisher, the more mellow & smooth the better.
A slow stone is no problems. results is what I care about.

Many sincere thanks in advance!

/Jens
 
I really want to have a La Petit Blanche. 80€ is the maximum I can spend. I don´t know how the new price-sceme look like, but I don´t want a hone that is shorter than 14 cm or narrower than 2 cm at the narrowest point. If you know that you won´t find a fitting hone for 80€ or less, take someone else and forget this post.
This being said, I´d prefer a long bout. What I do absolutely not like are triangular bouts. Compared to coticules from the vault, I´d say No. 028 would be still ok, while No. 016 and No. 066 is a no-go for me.
And if, after all this things, there are still two or more hones to choose from, I´d like to have one that works well with the dilucot method.

I know, this is very picky, but I already have a coticule that serves me well, so this is just out of interest for a certain layer. If you don´t find something fitting, I don´t care.
I have a +1 mark, but if there is a person searching for his/her first or second coticule, please take him/her first, instead of me.

Thanks and Regards,
Tok
 
Hello, This would be my first purchase ala this site; hope I'm doing this right. I'd like to find a La Petite Blanche and would go upward of 100e if necessary to acquire a lovely stone; 50x175 but the size is secondary to the quality of the piece. Thanks greatly. J
 
Tomorrow, I'm leaving at 6am for the trip to Ardennes. I will try to find a match for all posters above.

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
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