Advice to Newbies from a Newbie

I had my first straight razor shave and Wow! It was the marking of the end of a era for the double edge. Of course I have to practice the turning of my hands around my face and avoid making all these weird faces as I shave. I was taking so long to shave that I actually had to get a chair and sit down!
Advice for a Newbie from a Newbie. Patience is a virtue and buy the best you can afford. You will only buy it once. I invested in two nice straight razors and honed by others. This is the time to learn to shave not to hone. The only thing I did get was a four sided pasted strop and a hanging strop from Tony.
That's the extent of my honing. Now is the time to learn how to shave.
When you put that razor to your face you only want the best.
Dont buy cheap razors they might look great but the steel doesnt hold a edge. Hope this helps!

Great advice! The only thing that I want to add is that there is a big difference between "cheap" and "inexpensive". You are right that the "cheep" Zeepk razors on ebay are junk and will not hold an edge; however, there are many high quality "inexpensive" razors that are shave ready being sold in the for sale section. A more expensive razor does not necessarily mean that it will shave better than a less expensive razor. With the great deals on this forum I don't think that anyone should have to break the bank to get a high quality starter razor. Just make sure that it is sharp. Keep up the good work :tu

Tell it on the mountain!