Hi there everyone!

I have been wanting to get into shaving with a straight razor for some time, and I recently received one as a gift. Until this moment, my interest was only that: interest. Now, I feel compelled to learn as much as I can, and I am totally enjoying the process!

However, after reading the FAQ/Noob Guide in the forums, I would like a little education about the blade I have now. My razor says "SOLINGEN" all over it, and it seems to be good quality (after all, it says so right on the blade, lol!), but I have attempted to shave with it, without a lot of success. I have not bled yet, but I have also not gotten a decent shave out of it. My blade tugs at my beard and gets caught a lot. I am sure this is due to my ineptitude, but after reading about all the "solingen" fakes out there, I wanted to see if any of you could enlighten me about the quality of the razor I have.

Attached is a photo. I don't know much more about it beyond what you can see there. The handle is faux mother of pearl and is stamped "solingen", and the shank is engraved "SOLINGEN - made in germany". The blade is says "First Class - Original Solingen". I was told the blade is carbon stainless steel.

The reason I ask this is because, while I am totally willing to suffer through the learning process of shaving with a straight razor, I would feel better if I am starting out with a nice blade. I don't want to toil needlessly, or - worse still - send this off to be honed if it is not worth the time/effort.

I would love for someone to tell me that this blade is good enough for a noob like me and I should just keep practicing, but I would also like to know if it is low quality and I should think about getting a better one.

Thanks to all who respond - I welcome any counsel you have to offer!