Any idea of how much I should expect to spend on one and where I can find one?
If I only had one coticule and my DMT 600 for repairs I could do 90% of all my honing requirements.
In all seriousness, what about the other 10%?
The other 10% I might need my extra skinny coticule as well (warped blades, etc.), and I don't like to wear out my Coticules with big knives, so I use other stones for them.
I have read that instead of using multiple stones to hone a razor, one can use a single Belgian coticule with a slurry stone to take a razor from through bevel setting to the finishing/polishing stage. If so, can someone point me in the right direction as this appeals to me.
which is dilucot with a layer of electrical tape added to the spine
It seems from the outlines on these links from coticule.be, the difference between the two, is allot more than just electrical tape....
There is a very gradual dilution process to dilucot, which seems to be the entire basis of that method, so as to achieve maximum cutting property of the slurry, while diluting before slurry dulling can take place..Where as with unicot, there isnt a gradual dilution.. There are 2 completely new slurries created, with the second one being made slightly thinner.. Then the second is thinned just once....and finally plain water.....They seem to be completely different methods altogether.....with the bevel being set without tape, on unicot, and tape added during the final lighter and polishing stages....again, I'm very new to this...but this is what I get from the links you've posted...
Can I suggest a coticule and a double sided DMT (1000/600). With these two, you can pretty much do everything. I think bevel setting is a lot easier with a 1000 DMT and the 600 DMT is pretty good at removing chips and helping to fix warped spines etc.