I'm not sure if anyone had broached this subject here or not, but I was unable to locate a thread on it through the search function, I know that you guys probably get fed up with answering the same questions over and over again so I try not to plague you all with questions that have been answered a thousand times already.

I am not too proud to admit that I am a man of limited means so I am setting myself up for straight shaving on a shoestring budget. I was fortunate enough to get in on the shave ready Wapienica group-buy put on by Mike Ratiff and should have a usable razor in a few weeks or so and I already have a strop of sorts that ought to work so I now need to arrange for a hone for long term maintenance.

My local barber has told me that he will give me his old Swaty stone when he remembers to bring it in from home. Regulations in this state forced him to switch from regular straight razors to disposable blade straights so he no longer uses it. I thought this was pretty nice of him to do.

Like all of the rest of my acquisitions, I need to do this with an eye for what I need rather than what I want. From what I have been able to ascertain from the posts here on the board, the Swaty is OK for maintaining an established edge but then again it seems that everyone is much more in favor of the water stones. My question then is whether or not this Swaty is going to be a realistic choice for an unexperienced person or do I really need to try to come up with the cash for a waterstone. Coming up with the funds for a Norton would not be impossible but it is an expense I would like to avoid in the near term if you guys think it's realistic.

If I am sure that this all makes me sound like a really cheap bastard LOL! Your advice is valued, Thanks!

Justin