I'm in the process of figuring out what I want to buy to start using a straight razor. Clearly I need a razor. I already have an ok brush and use cake type soap (that's what started this madness).
The short:
Do I need to buy a hone right now?

The long:
I'm going to get a daily use, 2-sided strop (leather & linen). I'm also thinking about 2 more single strops to use with the pastes (feel free to offer opinions about the different grades & brands of pastes). If I get a new razor from SRDesigns, with free honing, can I put off the hone purchase? If so, how often will I be sending in my razor (assuming I don't mess it up)?

Other random info:
1) I pretty much have a baby face. I can make a crappy, twin blade last for a month or 2 without trying. It's a very dull blade at the end, but I can get away with it.

2) I live in Colorado. It's very dry here. Things will stay dry if I pay attention.

Thanks for your thoughts.
Scott