salazch,

Yes, get the strop...Even if its been professionally honed and is shave ready, you'll need to strop your razor before your second and subsequent shaves. Just go slow, turning the blade on its spine for 20-30 passes at first and you'll be ok. I started with 20-30 myself.

Later, after a few shaves and some practice with the strop you'll have the confidence to increase the number of passes on both the linen and the leather of your strop. Be patient. Don't try to replicate immediately what SRP members who have been str8 razor shaving much longer than you have. You'll get there eventually.

Now I do 50 passes on both the linen and the leather--and I've only been at this since Christmas of last year.

Take care...