Originally Posted by
MajorEthanolic
As I've suggested to others, I would start with a razor that is honed by somebody who definitely knows how to hone razors. There are a lot of variables (stropping/honing/shaving technique) that can influence how your first shaves go. The more you can eliminate, the better. If the razor isn't honed properly, your shaves will be bad even if you're stropping and shaving techniques are perfect. By having a truly shave ready razor, you'll immediately know if your technique is right, and you'll know within a few shaves if your stropping is right.