Greetings and salutations, all! I have been lurking around the forums and wiki for a couple of weeks now, and have decided to begin my own journey into the wonderful world of straight razor shaving. Since I believe in throwing myself completely into whatever I am doing, I have gone ahead and purchased: 3 Norton Stones, #1000, #4000, and #8000 grits. I have also purchased myself a strop, and am working on purchasing a bench strop to paste up with some #12000 and #15000 grit diamond paste. I went ahead and bought a couple of "eBay Specials" to practice on, and get my honing and stroping down pat.
Now for my newbie question: I am looking to buy a good enough razor that I can actually shave with, and I am working on a budget - can anyone make a suggestion where I can get a decent straight razor (one that will hold an edge) for a decent price? The eBay specials I got were cheapy, and on the list of "Razors to avoid." Nonetheless, I thought it wise to start on some really lousy blades, and then to work with a decent one once I got the hang of it.
I am really looking forward to working and shaving with straight razors for some time to come: I just need a nudge in the direction of a good starter razor! Thanks to all who respond, and it is a pleasure to be among you all.