Budget? That's not a word I've ever seen on SRP. What does it mean? Is it a new kind of hone? Is it like setting a bevel?

Two good shavers is a sensible number. Would that I were sensible. Three is even nicer; then you can keep the third back as a seldom-used reference razor, to bring out every other week and remind yourself what a proper sharp razor should feel like.

You will want to learn on good gear; get that Torrey taken care of and you'll be off to a good start. When it all works right, you shouldn't need more pressure to remove hairs than it takes to remove lather. It's an exquisite feeling when a shave goes that well.

From what I've heard, the van de Haagen stuff at Walmart has given folks pretty good results. Don't be afraid to just make and send down the drain a few batches of lather as you learn how it should feel. The best description I've seen, I think it was from BHarner, was that you should be able to stretch a pinch of it between your thumb and index finger and not have it break until about an inch separation. If it's too wet, it'll sag out before then. Too dry, hmm, don't know, I think it won't stretch that far. I usually start my lather on the dry side and add water until I think it's about to collapse. I have to do that, and in the winter add some glycerine, because it's so dry where I live (10-15% RH). The lather starts to shine when it's ready, because the bubble size gets so small it does something different to the light. Like, maybe, reflects. Dunno. It's a special sort of shine that you get from well-kneaded bread dough and pearls.

The least-expensive new razor I would trust is a Dovo Best, and I'd trust that completely. You'll get more bang for the buck from vintage blades, and may be able to score a nice shave-ready one in our Classifieds. Much safer shopping there than Ebay.

Best wishes to you, and good luck getting started.

Oh, and send your wife to the spa on the day your new stuff is supposed to arrive. That's always a good approach.