Quote Originally Posted by okiwen View Post
I was frustrated in that I thought I had purchased a shave ready to learn with and now I will have to take the time to it hone first. Was hoping to get a bit of mentoring if I found someone in the area. No luck yet, still trying.
Your plan to get a shave ready razor is the right way to go. Think of this as just a little set back. I suggest that you find a top Honemeister and send your razor out. It shouldn't take too long to get it back and it's relatively inexpensive. Only then will you know with some certainty that your razor is sharp enough, which will free you to concentrate on shaving.

At some point you may decide to take on honing your own razors but now is not the time IMO. Now you want to minimize the variables and overcome the learning curve.