Reminds me of the first time I tried to shave. The razor was both not sharp enough (it was the only one in the case where I bought it, so who knows how many people came through and shaved arm hair with it or cut pieces of paper to "test" it. I should have known-OWWW)
On the other hand, once you get that thing honed you are in for a treat. I have actually had good luck with Dovos. I have three, and two of them were ready to shave right out of the box. Effortless, sortof like using a squeegee.
For me, stropping only works if the razor is already very sharp and just pulling a bit.
John P