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Exactly what I was going to say :D

I just put hot water from the tap in the mug and soak the brush in it, then by the time I make my lather the cup is nice and hot and stays that way for a good 20...

Which one gives you the better edge? Find that out and keep that one :)

As above, theres no occlusions or marks that make me think one might be better than the other so personally it would be...

Especially with a new blade!

I generally use my DE in the shower and shave there as its quickest, but with a new blade and especially if I'm rushing its generally asking for trouble haha

Theres been a lot of different views on this thread so I'll throw my own in!

When I first started SR shaving about 7 years back I found that both SR's and DE's will remove hair to roughly the...

Well I'm assuming that a beginner knows how to strop to some extent and understands the concept, its just the odd miscue they're worried about? Rather than "I have a razor and a strop and I have no...

This is how I learned to strop correctly - Once you've got the feel of it with the butter knife you can relax into it a bit more with the razor!

Its also a good idea not to buy an expensive strop...

Hand rubbing is good to do - It softens the leather up and the oils from your skin soak into the leather as well.

Theres not really any need to use Fromm (IMHO) unless the strop is particularly...

+1, no issue with using tape.

I generally tape with one layer of electrical tape right from bevel set all the way through to finished edge (because I dont like the look of spine wear, just my...

For me its a combination of pre-shave prep, technique and post shave care and TBH I need to do all three or I'm in for trouble as I have quite sensitive skin as well!

Pre-shave I liberally wet my...

Thats quite normal on most hones, the surfaces are not completely flat and blemish free right out of the box. Certainly none of mine have been and I've had a few haha!

You'll need to lap the...

Nice..! :)

New one on the list for me to try hehe!

Personally I'm looking at those as restoration projects!

That style of blade works great with both modern and classically styled scales, and the heavy grind and deep etching means you can really...

I love big blades TBH!

My largest at the moment is a 15/16" Wacker but I've used some 8/8" and 9/8" blades in the past.

Birnando kindly lent me one of his Buddel blades a few years ago which...

I've not tried the Forestal but both the Bismarck and Bergischer are great shavers!

The BL is a lot more pricey that the Bismarck and really I think the shaves are pretty comparable, so then...

A friend of mine at work always says "Buy cheap, buy twice" and I think he's right.

You should always buy the best you can afford and look after it. Hopefully that way your investment will last a...

First of all welcome! :)

I'll address your points as you wrote them, hopefully this will be of some help!

1) I personally would forget the HHT as a test as its totally subjective. The example...

I agree about the Norton 4/8, that'll keep you going pretty much forever.

You can also use slurry on the 4k side if you need to do a bevel set, though it doesnt have the cutting power (IMHO) to...

I went through a stage of collecting a load of different stones and had a bunch for a while (CF's, C12k, Dalmore Blue and all sorts!).

In the end I found I gravitated to the same few stones every...

I always strop after the shave - It gets any microgunk off the edge of the blade and ensures the edge is completely dry and clean.

I've found it also seems to mean longer between touch ups as...

Once I've rinsed the brush out I'll flick it over the bath or something to shake most of the water out and then foof it on a towel as well. That usually dries everything out pretty well, and then its...

Awesome as always Glen! :tu

Sometimes simple is the best hehe!

You can definitely get a straight as sharp as a DE (and probably sharper because the steel is much better on a straight) but they definitely have a different feel.

The reason for that is the DE...

I dont really count my 12k Naniwa or 16k Shapton as finishers (even though they are), purely because I use other natural stones afterwards for that final finish and to add smoothness. So I'll count...

I agree with Glen - Its ultimately down to how the blade shaves.

If it pulls, is uncomfortable or scratchy, or doesnt remove hair properly then you need a touch up.

IME if its slighly...

I personally wouldnt use a BBW as a one-stop-shop, as Glen says there are other stones for the same money that will give you a much better edge. Personally if you want one stone only the Norton 4/8...