Thread: Few questions I should've asked before my purchase

So I already got everything, but after my first shave some questions came up. I'm sort of regretting some of my purchases such as my straight razor - DOVO stainless steel 5/8. I'm now considering getting a new straight razor - Thiers-Issard Sheffield Silver Steel Tortoise 5/8. It's sort of a tough decision for me considering I'm only a rising college sophomore, and just got my first job ever. So far this has costed me over $300.

Another regretful purchase was the Musgo Real pre-shave oil and two tubes of Musgo Real shaving cream. The reason I bought two was I saw it was only 3.7 oz, and I thought I'd finish it pretty quickly. I don't think I put enough water in it since I'm experiencing some razor burn. On top of that I really don't like the "manly" musky smell. It overpowers my prefer fresh scented aftershave of Aqua Velva and my Cool Water cologne. I'll be given the opportunity to sample out soap and would not like to make the mistake of purchasing the wrong scent (I don't know what some of the scents are). Of course unscented is an option, but I kind of like something that has a smell. So suggestions on soaps/creams and pre-shave oil would be very much appreciated. I suppose colognes and aftershave would be nice too. I'm up for experimenting with new things. The cologne I have is $13, but I get a really tiny amount. So something that lasts longer, has the same scent, and isn't too strong of a smell would be great. Same goes with aftershave, although I'm pretty satisfied with what I have.

Another question I have pertains to stropping. I have the Norton Diamond Stropping Paste, and I was wondering if I should apply water to the surface of the strop and paste before I strop or if I should just strop it dry. Another question about stropping is I only bought 1 syringe of 0.5 micron stropping paste and left one side bare. Is it okay for me to strop with the 0.5 micron side and then have a finish strop with the bare side? Or should I still use stropping paste with a revised regimen of one side with 1 micron paste, while the other side has 0.5 micron paste?

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oh one more thing about a future purchase. I'm thinking about getting a scuttle. Is this a good idea? If I got with shaving cream there doesn't seem to be any problems. However if I decide to go with shaving soap, which I am leaning more towards, then I have the issue of finding soap that'll fit a scuttle. I'm completely open to ideas/suggestions.