The Select Grade Coticule Whetstone 150×50 is a natural stone mined in Belgium by the Ardennes company, who have been in business since 1865. These stones are approximately 480 million years old and are made from compressed volcanic ash and clay sediment layers.
This Select Grade Coticule Whetstone size 150mm x 50mm and is perfect for honing straight razors or sharpening knives. The 50mm width of this stone makes it easier to keep a slurry on the surface of the stone while honing blunt razors compared to a stone with a thinner width.
Stone Size: 150mm x 50mm
Thickness: 16mm – 22mm
Grade: Select
The surface of the select grade stones contain very few imperfections. In comparison to the standard grade, only minor colour variations, blemishes, black lines and specks can be expected. The select grade also has a uniform density across the stones surface. These minor imperfections do not affect the sharpening properties.
Backing: Slate (no sharpening properties)
Being a natural stone there are variations in colour and texture. No two are exactly the same.
Coticule whetstone consists of 30 to 42% garnet crystals bonded together with mica. These garnets give Coticule whetstone its exceptional sharpening properties and make it the worlds best natural knife sharpener. The garnets are a dodecahedron shape which has twelve surfaces with obtuse angles. The garnets have a diameter of 5 to 15 microns and penetrate 1 to 3 microns deep into metal. This near perfect geometric shape for sharpening metal (obtuse angles polish the metal) and the very large numbers of these garnets ensure that the steel is sharpened quickly and extremely finely. It only takes a few minutes for the garnet particles to do their work which will result in a shaving sharp straight razor or flawlessly sharp knife edge.
Handmade by Ardennes of Belgium.
This Select Grade Coticule Whetstone 150×50 comes with a FREE slurry stone.
We have a wooden storage box to fit this whetstone.
Josh Wrigley (verified owner) – :
I recently made the switch to shaving with straight razors, and decided early on that I wanted to maintain and sharpen my blades myself. As an all-in-one hone, buying a coticule made a lot of sense to me – additionally, I’d heard people rave about the smooth finish that could be achieved on an edge with a coticule and the improved comfort this adds to the shave.
A little research will reveal that Ardennes is THE brand in Belgian whetstones, and the stone Mike sold to me does its job exceptionally well. I was initially nervous about the steep learning curve people describe with honing (like straight shaving, you don’t jump into it expecting to nail it first time), but was provided with invaluable tips for getting the best out of my stone by Mike. He was quick to answer my questions, and the follow-up a few weeks down the road was much appreciated too. Now after a few weeks of practice and perseverance I’m getting fantastic, properly shaveable edges off the stone that have really impressed me with their sharpness and comfort.
Both the product and service get five stars here. Mike’s willingness and enthusiasm to share his considerable knowledge have added outstanding value to a top-quality stone, which I am very pleased with.
Ben Naylor (verified owner) – :
I ordered one of these just the other day. Arrived one day later, and just had my first go using the stone to hone 2 of my straight razors.
This is my first time honing blades myself, and after some research (and some videos supplied by Mike), I jumped right in. Managed to get both of my blades super sharp really quickly and easily. I still have a bit more technique to work on, but I feel this stone did at least 99% of the work for me.