Hi,
I bought a Thiers Issard 5/8 razor from classicshaving.com

I also bought a strop.

I was surprised at the first shave, how painful it was. I put it down to lack of experience.

the next shave was not much better.

I felt that the blade was not as sharp as I had expected, so i read some things about sharpnes testing, like the hanging hair trick.

The blade i have does not feel sharp when you cross it with your thumb (as you would any other sort of blade).

To cut a hair I have to hold both ends of the hair and apply a small pressure.

As far as I can see I have been stropping correctly (not expertly, but correctly at least), i have taken care of the razor.

I emailed classicshaving about it and they replied that Razors come with a factory edge, so there is no guarantee that it is shave ready, and the only way to be sure is stropping AND honing.

I just wanted to get some impartial advice on this matter.

what should I do?

Cheers,
Gavin.