When I started, I bought 3 razors on Ebay. I used ONE of them after getting it honed. The others I PIF'd one and sold one. I then bought 2 from the classifieds here. THOSE are the two I now use. Matter of fact, using those two showed me what I like/want out of a straight and guided my next purchase. What I'm suggesting is this: find one in the classifieds that's in your budget. It'll come ready to shave. Learn with it and see what you like about it. You may end up loving the very first one you pick.