Quote Originally Posted by enigmachrysalis View Post
I have less than 2 dozen shaves under my belt. . . .

Tomorrow I'm going to try both razors in quick succession to see if I can notice a difference. Realistically, should there not even be a hint of pulling?
a) 24 shaves = very early days, just starting up the learning curve.

b) Even a really sharp razor must push against a hair, to cut it.

The sharper the razor, the less push is needed. So yes, there should be _just a little bit_ of pulling. The beard doesn't shave itself.

There has been some discussion of "straight-razor sharpness" vs "DE blade sharpness".

There are people who can get their straight-razor edge as sharp as a Feather DE; I am not one of them. But I can get it sharp enough for a comfortable shave.

I don't know what "novice stropping technique" means. If you strop the razor, and the strop stays tight, and doesn't bend around the edge, and the spine _never_ leaves the strop, you're doing OK.

I found that a CrOxide pasted strop, used occasionally, made shaving more comfortable. You shouldn't (according to received wisdom) need a pasted strop with a newly-honed-by-Lynn blade, but it might be worth trying. Your blades -- since you've used them, and stropped them -- might not be quite as good as when they left the shop.

. Charles

PS -- if you can arrange a "home visit" with somebody with experience, you'll get much more reliable answers to your questions. I _know_ what a sharp razor feels like, but I can't convey it over the Internet.