Thread: Hone advice for a beginner.

Originally Posted by MisterSensitive

I just purchased a new Dovo best quality razor.

I'd say hold off on hones and pastes for the time being. You can always do it when you need it.
At this point your primarily objective is to just learn how to shave with the razor. If in a month, or two, or six you think your razor needs a bit of improvement try 100 laps on newspaper. If that doesn't do it, get a chromium oxide, or a barber hone, or a norton (in this exact order of expense and aggressiveness).

Really, if you want to be cheap you can be, it's your choice either way. However your learning curve will most likely be negatively affected by acquiring honing equipment prematurely.

When you purchase your razor most important is to get a high quality strop. I am always puzzled at people cheaping out on their strop and then obsess over pastes hones and whatnot. The smart choice is to get the best strop you can afford, even if you'd slice it and end up replacing it, and learn to use it properly. That will have the highest impact on your edge in both short and long term, far bigger than any hone you can buy.

Shaving with straight razor isn't complicated, expensive or particularly hard. One just need to use a little bit of brain and patience and reign in the modern day impulse of trying to solve any perceived problem with more equipment.