Well, I took the plunge and gave the str8 a try. I have two that a member provided me with, honed and ready. I was a little eager and was tired of waiting on my strop, so I used an old belt on the first go round with one razor and none with the second razor.

I wasn't going for a close shave, just trying not to cut myself. To my surprise, I nicked myself less than with my Merkur Futur. However, my first try was basically a rough, bulk hair removal of three days growth. It seemed like there was a lot of pull on my skin and I had to play with the angle a lot. It got to the point that hand position was pretty awkward...especially going with my non-dominant had. It was also hard to keep in mind all of the things that make for a good shave per Lynn's DVD. Skin tight, angle around 30 degrees, make sure lather has not dried out, short strokes, and watch out for those problem areas. The one real nic I got was on my chin...right where Lynn said was a problem area for lots of folks. The first shave looked like I have a days growth in a couple of patches that I was afraid to go back over...and I only went WTG to be safe.

I used the heavier razor on the first go because I am used to letting to weight of the razor to the work on my double edge. I used a lighter Genco for the second try. I still went WTG. I was mildly better than the first go, but I had trouble getting that gliding feel across my face and still had a lot of pulling. It was a little closer than the first pass...and I only had a small nic near the previous one on my chin. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Tom