Haha, well I am a bit frugal so I will hold off (for a while). I know having a backup will be beneficial. I went ahead and took the plunge and bought a razor. I went and bought off eBay (I don't know if this is frowned upon, but I trust my eBay instincts). It seemed like a decent price considering the strop alone is pretty nice. I couldn't find that much info on the blade, but it's an antique one (which I'm trusting the craftsmen of yesteryear) and was shave-ready and tested and all that jazz. Here are some pics of my new baby:
Frank Montanaro: Meier Straight Razor and Dovo Strop
Interesting about the comments of the shaves being made by the other supplies thouhgh, and makes me a bit sad since I didn't do much research on the soap :(
I just bought an Omega silver tip brush and soap/bowl to get me started. I still haven't gone out and gotten any real aftershave lotion yet either...so any suggestions there? :P