Hi there:

I began straight razor shaving about three months ago and have never joined any kind of on-line forum until today. My straight razor experience has been both pleasant and rewarding to date, but soon I know I am going to have to cross over to the confusing side of sharpening using either hones or pastes. I have searched the web, read the threads and watched the youtube videos on the subject and am still undecided on which way to go. My entry razor of choice has been a brand new factory sharpened TI 5/8s half hollow with an Illinois strop. I realize from what I have found, read and watched that sharpening technique is very much a very personal matter and has been a topic of some discussion on this forum. However, any guidance, suggestions or help that you can offer although maybe not crucial may yet prove to be pivotal in my decision. So, let's get the ball rolling with my first of many questions. If I choose to go with hones and my razor was already sharpened and shave ready when it left the factory, should I use a Norton 4k/8k hone or a fine grit barber's hone to refresh the edge? The journey, as does the learning curve, continues.