the best thing to do is to get your razor "pro" honed..by pro i mean someone who has experience in honing and knows what they are doing (laurens, dimitri, lynn,glenn) . stropping a razor is necessary before you shave with it (being careful you don't fold the edge) to get a nice smooth shave. there is no need to get a razor €100,- + to get a good shave.. have a look on the whipped dog site for a sight unseen razor in combination with the poor mans strop, you'll be good to go for about $60,- they come shave ready so no hassle bothering with honing