Strop style for Japanese Iwasaki Kamisori?
Hey all!
I've been shaving with a cheap straight edge razor for the last year or so - the type that you slot in those disposable [double edge- snapped in half] razor blades. Cost me <£10 on eBay.
Anyway, I figured that I've proved to myself that I enjoy straight edge shaving, so treated myself to a Iwasaki Kamisori 50mm razor. It was out of stock in most places, but it turns out a place called 'JapaneseNaturalStones' had a few left - some reviews online suggested the owner is trustworthy so I went ahead and ordered it there. It arrived the other day and I had a shave...but it was disappointing to be honest. The blade was not sharp enough 'out of the box' and kind of tugged all the hairs.
I read that the top of the [sandwood?] wooden box it arrived in could also be used for stropping (it actually has a raised rectangle surface on the lid too), so I cautiously tried that and it seemed to improve the edge slightly, but not considerably. I don't really trust stropping on the wood so I only did <25 light passes on the short box. This brings me to my questions;
1) That disposable blade insert straight razor I used was actually really good. The blades were [obviously] razor sharp every time. Okay, it was cheap and not that stylish, but it did a great job. How do these quality/stylish/expensive razors compare to that cheap one? Would a properly stropped quality straight edge be even sharper than the factory disposable blades? Any other practical advantages?
2) The strop. I obviously need one asap, but my fiancée wants to get me it for Christmas so will revert to my old razor until then. JapaneseNaturalStones sell 'KANAYAMA CORDOVAN STROP', which sounds like it would go well with my Kamisori (both benig Japanese and all). Or should I get a more regular strop? 'Kanayama Cordovan Strop 20000' looks like the best option on that site, but it still costs ~£100.
3) Rubbing compounds. From what I've read/seen, these only need to be applied rarely to the strop, right? Are there any absolute essentials that I should apply to my strop right away? I've also been shaving using standard gel and no brush, but I figure with a proper razor I should use the proper accessories, so will get a cheapish brush [for now], and some different shaving cream. UK product recommendations welcome.
Any other tips or info highly appreciated.
Cheers!