First week= great shave

Greetings...I've been looking into the idea of using a straight for a couple of months, after my first week I wish I'd made the decision in the beginning. I have used a safety razor for years, after switching to a straight I can't imagine going back. I hope to eventually get skilled enough to hone myself, but right now I just want to master stropping. It seems that I'm not quite getting the edge I need, or the edge isn't lasting through the entire shave...hopefully this gets better. All said its a great shave.

Welcome to SRP.

Well, it will take some time to get it all down. Glad to hear your starting off well. Was the edge shave ready when you got it? And ummm who said so ?? LOL I shave right off a Norton 8k and strop but some go a lot farther to the heaven of infinite sharpness. If it pulls hair you may need a hone. Many beginners (including me) have ruined a shave ready razor with a strop. Glad my total package was 40 bucks. Was the blade on your first shave a whole lot better than it is now?

Sounds like you're having fun. Not really "shave ready" is the most common reason for initial difficulties followed closely by poor technique. Make sure you have the first one in order then it's all about practice .... practice .... practice.

Yes, the blade was sharper the first time using. I strop every time I use it, which seems to help. You say ruined a razor with a strop...what do I not need to do?

Little or no pressure on strop, keep from rolling the edge of the blade, turn over on the spine. Check out srp library and youtube