Well... a little pun that exploded into a discussion. Let's poke the fire a bit:
Here's Coticule.be's first and only dogma:
[note]Coticules Are Not Difficult. [/note]
I actually mean that. But it all depends on what you expect to achieve of your hone. Let us talk about the Norton 4K/8K. Back in 2007, when Straight Razor Place was still an uncompromisable authority, at least in my mind, for finding knowledge about straight razor related topic, the de facto standard for sharpening was the Norton 4K/8K combination stone. There was some talk in the margin about an expensive set of Shaptons. It was generally accepted that the Norton4K/8K was fully capable to make a razor "shaveready". I statement that I believe to be true. Nonetheless, many users were not completely satisfied with the edge
they could achieve of it, and relied on a CrO pasted strop to get more sharpness. They called it smoothness, because i
t ain't easy to admit that you aren't able to get that desired sharpness of the hone. Some users had a Coticule or an Escher to put in between the 4K/8K and the pasted stropping. I think Lynn Abrahms started using the Norton4K/8K because it was: A. a good hone, B. made in the US, C.readily available. I know I started on Coticule for very similar reasons: they had this age old reputation and they are mined in my country. (It's interesting to note that the Norton started loosing attention on SRP about the same time the production was transferred to Mexico). But let's not digress. I am convinced that a very good edge can be achieved of the Norton8K. But getting the kind of keenness of any hone that allows for a nice shave requires the skill and practice many don't bother with. The pasted strop requires less competence and it works perfect for catching up with a bit of keenness on an otherwise well honed and polished edge. Nothing wrong with that actually.
Now, lets fast forward to 2009. I started a thread on the aforementioned forum that replaced the "Norton4K/8K + paste of choice=excellent edge" with a method on just one single Coticule. I thought I was just offering an additional option for those who cared to try, but the idea was accepted quite differently. Notably a Russian hone collector was outraged by the idea that one stone could be used to reach a good shaving edge, and subsequently the forum owner took sides. If you like Coticule.be, thank both gentlemen for cutting me loose of SRP. But I digress again. The one big difference, besides the fact that Coticules work different than the Norton4K/8K, is that my "one Coticule method" (the later Unicot), omitted the pasted finishing. That, and that only, makes Coticule honing more difficult. We expect the edge to be finished, right off the Coticule. I am sure that one
could expect the same, right off the Norton4K/8K. But almost no one does. Which means that the Norton only needs to deliver a paste-ready edge, while we expect shave-ready of a Coticule. If one is prepared to use a pasted strop, honing on a Coticule is just as easy and convenient as it is on a Norton. If the premise is to reach an edge the owner is fully pleased with, let someone who has tried both stones for that purpose answer that question.
Nonetheless, both whetstones are very different to use. Because the US-based SRP promoted the Norton 4K/8K for so long, all the honing adages are inspired by the do's and don'ts on that hone. Zero pressure. Less is more. Watch out for "overhoning". Just to name a few. Coticules do not work well with these adages. But imagine that Coticules still were the standard and that everyone was transferring the Coticule adages to Norton hones. They would surely meet serious difficulties. And someone would likely claim that the Norton 4K/8K is a difficult hone. And then that dreadful soaking.:|
:
Now you know why I giggle each time I read the "Coticules are difficult to master" statement. Let's repeat it one more time: learning razor sharpening is like learning how to ride a bike. I agree that Dilucot may be a bit of a Unicycle situation. But with Unicot available, it surely isn't more challenging than any other procedure with solid hones. They all demand a wobble free honing stroke. And the ability to "read" the edge.
Kind regards,
Bart.