Tech you just started ,, please learn to shave first and strop well, it takes many shaves to become good at it , this way you will know if your edge is right , then take up maintaining a blade ,, pastes or the 12 k will do it and also a barbers hone is even less money, As rezdog said you can get quite a few pro honing so done for what a set of stones cost and if your not restoring razors ,well after you learn to shave and strop , honings are few and far between ,, I,m doing this for over a year now , and I still don't hone , and I shave with the finest edges around, have sent my razors off twice , the first time out it was my stropping ,, So just a few words of wisdom , here , Tc