Hello to all. After lurking for quite some time on SRP, I have decided to join the community. First and foremost I would like to thank all the members of the community, especially Mr. Lynn Abrams. SRP has been a huge help in answering the many questions I have had about straight razor shaving.

A bit of background. When I was 18 years old, I kicked the cartridge and began DE shaving, 8 years later I took the plunge and bought my first straight razor. It was a Dovo best 6/8 full hollow. After some time, watching almost every "how to shave with a straight razor" video on youtube I got my technique down. Shaves were quick and smooth, but still not up to par with what I was getting from my Feather blades in my Merkur DE razor.

Fast foreward a few months and I decide to get a hone. Of course I spent countless hours browsing youtube and SRP to get all my questions answered. The big day arrives, I unbox my norton 4k/8k and get to lapping. Step 1, draw edge across rim of glass to get rid of edge. I then set the bevel on my 1200 grit diamond stone. Hairs will pop off my arm, so I move to the Norrton. 4k and 8k go well. Strop on linen then leather and give her a test shave. Things go well. The razor is smooth but still not up to par with the shave from the DE.

A few weeks ago I decide that as a pastime, I will take my shot at restoring older razors. I'm pretty handy, and hey, making things shiny and sharp, sounds like fun to me! So today, a 5/8 full hollow Wade & Butcher arrives in the mail from eBay. The blade is in pretty good condition, but the scales need some work. I sanitize the razor, draw blade across the glass and get to work with my routine. 1200, 4k, 8k, linen, leather. Lather up with some Proraso and hope for the best.

What happened next made my jaw drop. My $40 eBay find gave me the closest, smoothest most incredible shave I've ever gotten. I had to do a double take to make sure it was cutting. No pulling, no tugging, no irritation. The blade sliced effortlessly through my thick beard. I was amazed to say the least.

So my question. Is there that much difference between Solingen steel and Sheffield steel? Is it the geometry of the 5/8 vs 6/8 blade that gave me the amazing shave, or is it something else? All else the same, same stones, routine, stropping, but such a huge difference in shave.

Thanks all.