Okay here is my dilemma, I recently sold all of my straight gear as you may know, and have been DE shaving now for the past few months. Things are going pretty well, but I have noticed the comfort level of a straight razor being superior to a DE but only when sharp. I had a hard time keeping the razor sharp. I needed to hit the paste every 8 shaves or so to keep the blade going.

Anyways I saw this maestro livi loom strop for sale with a linen back pasted with chromium and I just thought I should have that. Is there any benefit to using a loom strop and is there any reason not to? The strop is being sold for 130 dollars slightly used. I have no straight razor anymore and have never ownded a new razor. I want to try a custom, maybe a joe chandler straight and I want that to be my one razor, well at least for now. I really like the one on the straightrazordesign website but it is pretty spendy at 375.

Any suggestions for a custom razor would be apperciated. I have tried several wade and butchers, heljestrand, Dovo, wapi, Henckels, and others that I can't name. But I have always wanted a razor to call my own, and one that would shave at par with the best of them. Do you think my idea of a loom strop and custom razor is a good one? I was dissapointed in straight shaving for awhile because I had a few hones and I could never get the razor sharp. So I am thinking have it honed, keep it sharp on paste as long as possible and then send it out when it needs it again. I don't really have the money for all of these extravagent shaving items but thats what credit cards are for.