Great information. Thank you Maxi and mowfow. I will get the razor honed through the classifieds. Am also wondering how often a razor needs to be honed and whether it is reasonable to expect to keep the razor sharp through stropping? Also, any recommendations on what I should be looking for as far as strops are concerned, would be appreciated. I'll make sure to read the beginners manual on the site, but any personal mentoring suggestions garnered from your personal experience would be a great supplement.