Thread: Sort of a new guy...

By all logic (as opposed to pure desire), what you need is:

. . . One razor that is sharp to begin with;

. . . One leather / cloth strop;

. . . One "finishing hone" -- a fine barber hone, or a 12K - 16K full-size hone, or
. . . . . . an 8K hone and a Cr-oxide pasted strop.

With that setup, you can keep the blade sharp forever (or until it wears down, which will take decades).

If you decide to buy a full set of hones, nobody will argue with you -- we're all crazy, here. But don't think you need them, until you start bringing old razors back from the dead.

I think it's a good idea that your first razor shouldn't be too expensive. You'll read lots of stories, here, about banging razors into faucets, dropping razors that shatter on the floor, and so on. As you gain experience, those things happen less often.

Ultimately, of course, it's your money, and you get to spend it.

. Charles