In one of Lynn's honing videos he describes the thumb pad test and the sticky feeling you feel when the blade is sharp. I was never able to get my razor to the point where it felt sticky, and convinced myself that I just had a defective thumb. I drove myself nuts wondering if my razor was truly sharp, so I ordered one from SRD and it came yesterday. THUMB NOT DEFECTIVE! Now I know what the "sticky" feeling feels like. Can't wait to shave with it.