Chosing a stone set

[Pierauspitz]

Hello everyone!
I am new to the straight razor world, shave ready GD 208 is on the way.

However, I'm already a bit of a super sharp knife maniac. I sort of a "If it ain't shaving, it needs sharpening" kind of guy. I'm used to hone metal to a keen edge, and a straight razor will be a new challenge for me.
One thing I have to stress is that I do wish to use only NATURAL stones. I know, it's maybe not very reasonable, but I do like it. Time isn't a problem for me (after all, this is a hobby), but price is. I do not wish to put 80$ + in a man-made super duper stone. After all, I'm buying a whetstone to sharpen things, not jewelry. And I do not care "being the cool kid", I want something simple, serviceable and that will last.

So, I'm currently looking for a (or a few) companion(s) to my large 1000/4000 Wästikivi bench-stone (Finnish phylite, slow but good ) for straight razor finishing/touch ups, as I think 4000 is a bit rough for that purpose.
So far, the Chinese 12k (with a Thuringian like an MST?)or the Welsh slates set as seen on the bay (DG and LM) are attracting my attention. They all seem to fit the bill, but now I'm a bit unsure as what to chose.
Any recommendations? Suggestions?

 

[SliceOfLife]

The MST German waterstones (which some sell as thuringians) are not a good stone for finishing razors in my opinion. They are not thuringians. REAL thuringians are great.

The China 12k is a mediocre option, as are the welsh slates. Yes, if you absolutely can't pay a penny over $30, they are an option. If even, $40 is in your budget, though, I'd not look twice at them. In complete honesty, the $24 junk Jnats I got from 330mate (I bought two) were as good as either in the shave, and much faster. I'd not recommend those stones either. All three of those options strike me as likely having a higher reported success rate due to people following them with abrasive pastes and not mentioning that fact. Straight off the stone, they are not what I'd call a good shave, maybe passable, maybe.

For the money, I don't think you can beat a small coticule. Vintages can be found on eBay for a good price here and there, and The Superior shave sells size 6-7 bouts at decent prices as well. Aim for one as near rectangular as you can get, and around 5" long. That's the best spot for that size bout for a beginner, in my opinion.

 

[Pierauspitz]

Hello SliceOfLife!

Thanks for the advice!
I maybe have just been over-focused on "get a cheap setup so you don't regret the investment if you don't like it".
Maybe that' exactly what will make me not enjoy the experience...

I guess I should just invest and get a nice Coticule... And I'm sure it will be great for my knives too.
Oh well, what's the point of money if we don't use it to please ourselves (I just have to convince my SO that spending such a money on this is sensible )

 

[eltorofuerte]

Silver lining on getting a nice Coticule would be if you had to sell it im sure you could get your money back.

 

[Pierauspitz]

Well... If it's worth doing, do it once and do it well: just ordered a 200x40 standard from Ardennes Coticule.
Feeling strangely satisfied, but my bank account hates you guys!

 

[Sharpchef]

Well... If it's worth doing, do it once and do it well: just ordered a 200x40 standard from Ardennes Coticule.
Feeling strangely satisfied, but my bank account hates you guys!

Very good choice!

You have to be really carefull when used with knives, cause most of the coticule are quite soft. Once mastered there are better then almost any natural honing stone out there, in my opinion.

greets Sebastian.

 

[alx gilmore]

Good luck with it and keep us posted.

Alex

 

[SliceOfLife]

Well... If it's worth doing, do it once and do it well: just ordered a 200x40 standard from Ardennes Coticule.
Feeling strangely satisfied, but my bank account hates you guys!

Definitely a great choice assuming your SO doesn't exact terrible vengeance for the purchase. That's probably the best all-around choice for a razor finisher for a beginner with enough of a budget who wants a quick and easy option without having to "score" a Thuringian or trouble with the mystery surrounding Jnats. It should serve you well. And that size should hold its value well, and possibly even appreciate if Ardennes prices go up in the near future (as they are likely to do).

 

[Seraphim]

My experience with teh C12K is that you will likely fall asleep using it before you get an acceptable finish from it.

It's slightly more effective than honing on an ice cube in terms of cutting power.

YMMV

 

[petercp4e]

If you ever want to expand your adventure into natural stones after the coti, you could add a bbw (Belgian blue waterstone) and an Apache Strata from Natural Hones. I have all three and love them.

Pete <:-}

 

[ncfyrfyter]

I surprised that no one has suggested a Jnat. There is also the cheaper option of film.