Quote Originally Posted by Tobias View Post
My routine is
1) shower
2) shaving soap applied with brush
3) shave
4) alcoholfree after shave balm

My absolutely first shave was directly after I got the razor. I found it uncomfortable and had been reading that most new razors aren't really shave ready, therefore I sent it for honing to know what sharp is. Now when I got i back, I can't say there's much difference.

I've ordered a strop, but the honemeister also stropped it so it should have been shave ready this time. It wasn't done by anyone from the forum. I sent to a barber shop here in Sweden.

Anyway, thanks for all the answers. I'll most definitely continue trying until I get it right. It's pretty fun even if it's uncomfortable.
You cannot usually shave without stropping the razor even if it has been honed well by a honemeister. Stropping does take a bit of technique but nothing that you cannot accomplish. You need to keep the strop taunt and only use the weight of the razor while stropping. Any more pressure and you may roll the edge of the razor and ruin the edge. OK, it is not really ruined, it just needs to be rehoned to re-establish the bevel.
So, bottom line, get a strop and strop at least 60 passes before each shave.