FWIW ---

In your position, I'd get a Dovo straight razor, a DE razor and some blades, and a strop:

. . . a Dovo 'Best Quality' 5/8" or 6/8", hand-honed (should be about $80 - $90 mail-order)

. . . a Merkur 34C or Edwin Jagger DE89 double-edge ("safety") razor ($35 - $50 mail-order)

. . . whatever strop the vendor has, for a price you can afford.

I don't see any good reason for you to spend a lot of money for a beautifully-finished straight razor that you _may not like shaving with_. The fancy Dovo's are works of art, but I don't think they have sharper edges than the inexpensive ones. [That's for carbon-steel razors; I have no experience with stainless-steel straights.]

I think having a DE razor "in reserve" is a good idea, if you can't use cartridges. The shave (IMHO) is comparable to a straight-razor shave (others disagree), the learning curve is shorter, and the sharpest blades available (Feather) are only about $0.50 each.

I understand the attraction of fancy gear, but it's your _first_ razor, not your last.

Charles