Hello,
Names Jacob - new to your site
Short story is I have been a bearded man for many years. I am in the process of becoming a chef and beards require beard-nets in my trade - so i'm going to go with a new chapter in my life and shave daily.

I have always had sensitive skin and appreciated the barbers shave when I was younger as it left little to no agitation on my skin.
I am now looking to build a shaving kit from scratch - my focus is to get a good close shave with little harm to my skin.

Some questions:

The Razor:
The Devo Special 5/8 seems to get great reviews from many people. I have found a Dovo "Best Quality" 6/8" Carbon Steel Straight being sold for a bit under 100$ - would this be a good alternative choice?
If not where would be a good place to by a Devo Special - I live in Canada.

Honing / Stropping:
I am learning to keep all sorts of knives sharp in my trade using stones and steal to keep the blade true.
For shaving I need is to keep a new factory blade in good condition (not looking to do restoration work) So I am looking for some suggestions
- I was surprised to see how expensive strops and stones are - So I would like a good idea of a set of items which would let me keep my blade in good condition without killing the wallet.

Lathers / Soaps:
I see lots of nice products but am unsure which is beast for sensitive skin. Is there a winner out there with as little perfume/artificial color, etc...

Finally, any additional tips / suggestions I should be aware of?
Thanks for any input!