I gotta say that i feel like i am starting to get the hang of straight shaving! My third shave is in the bag and it is getting much better. I went and acquired a tony miller starter strop (Truly a thing of beauty..worked great) and had a much better shave. I feel like my technique is also improving, though i get the sense that my razor could use a touch up or be honed all together, but i will give it a few more shaves before i make that decision. All in all, i am in a state of awe and have even been getting others interested in the art. Thanks to everyone that has aided in my transition to straight razor shaving!