I am very excited to be on Brian's waiting list. But it is not time to relax as I wait 3-6 months for the call to make some design decisions. Not only do I need to be prepared to pony up some spec's, I better be ready to strop this baby for 3-6 months and then be able to refresh the blade rather than destroy it. I am new to this game and my skills are improving as I hone the life out of every razor I own.

My current thoughts on spec's for the Brian Brown Custom is an 8/8 1/4 hollow-full wedge spineless with 2 5/8's smiling blade and Spanish point. I love all the scales that Brian creates so I am not worrying about that.

My current hones which I only recently successfully honed a razor with are: Shun 1k/6k, Naniwa 3k/8k and C12k. I have SRP paddle strop a couple of pads. .5 micron chromium oxide and .5 diamond spray. I just ordered the English Bridle Pad for the SRP modular strop as I cut up the original standard leather strop(skills are better, hopefully the new pad will be safe).

My request for opinions and concerns relate to everything. Spec's on the razor, hones and technique on a smiling blade. Should I be prepping a natural hone other than the C12K. Coticul, Escher, ........

I currently have a Dovo 5/8 Ebony Silver Steel, Globusman 6/8 and the best razor in my drawer, a Soligen 6/8 full hollow that I semi-refurbished from a rusty mess. The rusty mess had a good spine and no issue with the blade so I buffed it, set a new bevel and it is the smoothest (although ugliest) of the bunch. The brand new Dovo is the big disappointment of the lot. It shaves, but nothing to write home about. I bought the Globusman off of the SRP Classifieds and although pretty, the blade did not lay flat on the hone. By the time it did, I had made a mess of the spine. Now I hone it with 3 layers of tape but it is still a disappointment. I can't wait to try a professionally honed razor with a perfect spine etc...

Your thoughts and criticisms are welcome.

Thanks in advance------