Since you mentioned Ken Rupp I assume you are in the San Antonio area. He is a mentor and I would rely on his advice and judgement. He will not steer you wrong. Major advice is to go a step at a time. Pro honed and self maintained with a strop. Good stropping delays having to re hone. And honing a razor is a separate and precise skill set beat learned after you get all the early steps of shaving down - a year at least. I liken it to the Tortoise and Hare race. The Hare moves so fast he overshoot the finish line and finds himself in limbo, confused as all hell. The Tortoise moved slowly, discovering all the twists and turns involved to get to the finish line and discovers he can repeat all the steps successfully.