Thread: Advice on Possibly Upgrading My Razor and Strop or Learning to Hone

It sounds to me like you don't have anything to refresh your edge (like a pasted strop barber hone etc - correct?), and with 40 shaves it is likely dull. Perhaps there's a SRP member close by who could help you get her back into shaving form. A Norton 4/8 is one of the best investments you could make, but for now you should get that blade honed and concentrate on shaving and stropping technique IMO. Don't forget that you'll need a lapping stone to flatten the Norton - the DMT 8C is another great investment.

Back to question 1. If you feel you're in this for life you should go ahead and upgrade to a better razor and strop. Yes, most of the time it's the Indian and not the arrow, but I do think you'll notice a difference with better gear.

Just my $0.02

EDIT: I missed the part about your great grandfather's hone. I hesitate to say whether it's good or bad. Perhaps posting a pic of the stone will help to determine if it will bring your edge back....