Hi,

I'm a complete newcomer to shaving with a straight razor, having made do with the usual Gilette offerings (currently a Mach 3) for a number of years. I did actually start off with a DE, but in the folly of youth fell for the marketing.

After reading the advice on a number of forums (here, badgerandblade etc) I've decided to take the plunge. I'm getting a present of a shave ready razor (Dovo Astrale, from classicshaving) and am currently bidding on some cheap-ish vintage razors on eBay.

I'm still somewhat unsure as to what the best combination of strops / hones would be for a beginner. I know that I will need a hanging strop for daily use, and either a pasted strop or paddle, or a hone, or both for sharpening.

I had been thinking of the following combination:
  • Tony Miller Heirloom #1 Best Wide 3" Latigo Premium Strop
  • Tony Miller Heirloom Wide Vintage Style 2 Sided Paddle Stop, pre-pasted with 0.5 and 1.0 micron diamond paste. FWIW, this seems to be currently unavailable.
  • Norton 4000/8000 hone
My questions:
  • Would I be better off choosing a narrower strop for daily use? I've read somewhere that some (old) razors don't lie flat on the strop and an X-pattern movement would be required. Would a wider or narrower strop be easier to use or to learn on?
  • Should I purchase one of Tony's "Starter" strops, or would the beginner's strop that comes free with the main strop be sufficient to learn on?
  • Would I be better off getting a 4-sided paddle strop? What actual difference would using the 3.0 micron (and finishing on the 0.25 micron) make, especially considering that I'd be starting off with the Norton hone?
  • If I got a 4-sided strop (3.0 micron - 0.25 micron pastes) would this effectively replace the Norton hone?
  • Is a choice of 0.5 and 1.0 micron pastes reasonable? I'm thinking that I would use the Norton to sharpen a blunt razor, then refine the edge on the pasted strop, and then finish on the hanging strop.
  • Should I skip the pasted strop idea altogether and just learn to hone on the Norton hone?
Thanks,

Fred