I have a budget SR by a small company called Ersen, based in Solingen. I bought it mainly to have a second razor but I wasn't happy with the shave I got off it: tug and patchy. I tried stropping and changing technique but after a while I figured I'd take a close look at the edge, and noticed that it was uneven/not straight, and the bevel looked inconsistant. So I finally got my courage together and decided to have a crack at honing it. I know I could have sent it away to someone else, but I thought this gave me as good a chance as any to teach myself something.

I started by by bread knifing on 220 grit sandpaper, which levelled off the blade and completely dulled it. Then moved on to 1k King water stone, and tried Lynn's circle method for setting a bevel. I went through 3-4 cycles of 2x40 circles plus 25 roundtrip x-strokes before I got it back to shaving arm hair.

Then I moved up to a 6k (it was a combi stone I was using) and spent a while on x-strokes with a circle finishing each stroke - I'm not sure how many round trips I made, I waited until it felt like it was sharper. Then I finished with 10x round trips on an 8k, then green pasted webbing, clean hemp and leather stropping.

Then I tried shaving with it.

Well, I won't be putting anyone out of business anytime soon, but for a first attempt I was quite pleased. It shaved, which was a relief, and overall the shave quality had improved. I needed fewer passes and less pressure, but it isn't as slippery smooth as my professionally honed Dovo or Aust. There is noticeably less tugging and irritation, though, so I am calling this an improvement.

I I also took the chance to resurrect my old chef knife, which was in a sorry state but which now is shaving sharp. Very pleasing, I must say.

I wouldnt have have dared try this if it weren't for the can-do attitude embodied by the members of this forum: thanks to you all.

PS - Big it thanks to all those who have put up videos of honing on YT, as I watched more or less all of them!