Brand new J.A. Henckels razor arrived in the mail - needs honing!
I am a newbie. I have a few old ebay razors, and some good honing stones - 1000, 4000, 8000 - and have made some "paddle strops" out of old belts. And I have some color-coded strop pastes.
Recently I decided to take the plunge and spend some serious money on a GOOD razor. I bought a J.A. Henckels "Solingen" razor, only slightly used, in very good condition, that was advertised on ebay as "SHAVE READY." It came from Japan ($146).
It has arrived, and it is a thing of beauty. But it is NOT "shave ready" by a long shot.
My question: Should I do the honing myself? Or should I mail the razor to somebody who provides this service?