Ok, my third attempt is in the books! This time, my razor was "honed" (in "" because I did it myself not really knowing much), and "stropped" (again, ''' for the newbie!). After a hot shower, during which I washed my face well, I lathered up with a brush and shave gel (Aveeno brand that I have been using for years with cartridge razors), then put a hot towel on my face and held it for about two minutes. I then wetted my face again with hot water and lathered up again with a thin layer of shave gel. I did WTG passes on my sideburns, which felt all right. I then did WTG passes on my neck, those felt ok, a little tugging. I only tried a couple WTG passes on my chin and upper lip. Those are the hardest parts for me as far as holding the blade comfortably and executing a smooth pass. There was a lot of tugging, so I didn't push it. I then added a little more cream where I had passed on my sideburns and did a couple ATG passes. That felt really awkward. Should I be switching hands for different sides of my face? I am right-handed and was trying to do everything that way. I cleaned up with my old cartridge. I didn't want to force the shave like I did last time and reinjure my face. Afterwards, instead of aftershave, I put on some facial lotion. Right now, I feel a little razor burn on my upper lip where I attempted passes, and a hint of burn on my neck and sideburns where I really shaved.

Obviously, something is off. I suspect that to begin with, my razor is just not shave-ready. The blade feels like a sharp knife, and from what I have read on here, it needs to go beyond that. I would also guess that my pass technique needs work.

Should I invest in a shave-ready razor from this site's classified's and work on my shaving and stropping? Seems like it might be tough for me to properly hone this one that I bought. From what I can tell, it came with a knife-sharp edge and no nicks. Someone experienced could probably hone it... not sure what to do here.