Quote Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun View Post
I made a decision early on that if I was going to use straight razors, I would have to learn to maintain them.... You don't want a makeshift stone like the one you found for $50 because you are entrusting your face with the razor you're sharpening.
First off, I want to say thank you for your offer, resources, and time you have put into your responses. I'll send a PM your way.

I also figured that I would invest in the maintenance aspect of straight razor shaving as well. Spending $30 in honing and shipping service per razor in addition to the wait time doesn't seem to be a viable option. Plus, I love working with my hands and learning new skills. I was looking on Amazon for stones (after I watched the video you linked) and saw this Norton Waterstone Starter Kit: 220/1000 grit stone, 4000/8000 grit stone, SiC flattening stone: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific. That set includes the 4k/8k stone you spoke about, and also has another set as well as a stone for flattening the hone. That set is right around the same price as the 4k/8k with the DMT stone you mentioned earlier. I have looked into some strop pastes, but I only have one strop so that won't work for the moment. I figured I would upgrade to a three inch strop at some point and use the two inch as a pasted strop. I'm still a good ways off from that though since the strop is only been in use since January.

I would love to save money where I can, especially given how I am already looking for new razors every chance I get. That being said, I don't want to sacrifice quality for the sake of being cheap. Plus not having to spend a fortune on the disposable razors seems to even out.