HAHA !!
Another Montrealer !! :rock:
Anglo ? Franco ? "Pure-laine" ?
East-end?, West-end ?
Or a bit off the Island ? North-shore, South-shore ?
For your second set of questions:
1 - I'm alternating between 2 razors now, and I haven't touched a hone in about 3-4 months now. I've refreshed them on a pasted balsa strop once or twice each, and they feel just as good as they did when they came off the hone. But this depends on your razor. The 2 I'm using now keep a fantastic edge. The first razor I owned needed to go back to the hone much earlier than that. I have no clue how long the edge of a Hart can last.
2 - You should be well set with a Norton 4k-8k. One of my friends (who isn't on SRP) has been using that hone for years and never had a problem (he only needs to use the 8k). To keep you razor in shaving condition, you don't need a big expensive set-up. I've been using a chinese natural stone exclusively for touch ups for a while now (although I haven't used it in a few months), and it's all I need to keep my razors going.
Welcome to SRP Max !!