Welcome to SRP. Glad to see you're finally upgrading to a real straight razor. If you're set on buying a new razor, then you can not go wrong with any razor purchase from Straight Razor Designs as all the razors come "Shave Ready" honed by Lynn himself. The combo set from SRD would be a great start, however if you opt to go that route, then hold off on using the strop for awhile until you get the proper technique needed for stropping. So I would suggest checking out whippeddog.com, Larry, the owner and member here, sells a beginner strop that is very affordable, I think around $20. Ruprazor also sells a get beginner strop, "The Filly." Either of these would be good way to go. If you want to be frugal, then you can also check the classifieds here for razors, strops, whatever. There is also a section "Member Services" so when the time comes to have your razor honed, you have a few options. Most of the members who offer honing services all charge about the same amount. But if you buy your razor from SRD, I believe it comes with a certificate for a future free honing. Just be sure to do some proper research (WIKI, FAQ, etc) before rushing into a purchase. Hope this helps and keep us posted on what you decide.