Hey, all! I'm the latest newbie and I have some questions about getting started. First, I have to say I'm really impressed with the sense of community in this forum; I've already found a wealth of great info and helpful advice.

I'm excited about getting into the whole straight razor thing, but I want to take a minimalistic approach starting out, until I'm sure I want to/am able to successfully shave with one. I'm thinking I want to start out just getting a freshly honed razor (probably from b/s/t here) and a decent strop. I still have quite a full can of Gilette gel. Will that work for straight razor shaving, or would you recommend only using soap? I will eventually try the soap, but I'd like to keep my costs down now and use up the gel I have.

Eventually I'd like to get a vintage mug and a brush; I see on ebay that there are a ton of "vintage" brushes that are sold with mugs. Are any of these used brushes able to be used again, or should you only use a new brush?

Regarding honing, am I right in thinking that I can get by several months before purchasing one, as long as the razor I buy is honed and truly shave-ready and I strop it before using? I'd like to eventually get a Norton 4000/8000, but again I'd rather make sure I''m all in before making that investment.

Thanks for hearing me out!

Payne