Quote:
I feel that a member learning to hone, on a razor in questionable condition (pitted,rusty, chipped, excessive frown/smile) puts himself at a disadvantage to begin with.
I liked the entire OP, but this statement really stood out for me. It's a piece of advice that I should have embraced when I started. I can look back now and say that because I chose problem razors to learn on, I had more problems learning to hone. I do remember those few nice razors I'd pick up from time to time, and marvel at the ease with which they'd take an edge. And at the time, my understanding was so little, that I'd attribute it to the brand, or luck, or more ignorantly, my fantastic newfound skill. When in reality, those few nice razors were just in better condition, with no issues. So, on one hand, doing it the wrong way did prepare me well for dealing with a lot of different problems. I'm confident I can make any razor, with any fixable problem, shave well. So I got something valuable from my poor decision. But, I would have been a lot happier, and learned faster, if I'd chosen the best razors I could have, from the beginning. And I wouldn't be sitting on a ton of razors I didn't really want in the first place, except for honing practice :p Probably could have bought a couple new Dovo's with that money.