Hello everyone. My name is Michael and I thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself - though some of you may recognize me from elsewhere. I've been wetshaving for as long as I can remember, but only discovered "the good stuff" in late 2006. For years before that, I used an old bristle brush, Williams soap and an M3.

Lately, I've been using an assortment of DE razors and blades along with the usual collection of brushes, soaps and creams. I had purchased a few straights from some local antique shops, but was positive I would cut my ear off or something. So they sat around collecting dust. Frustrated with the quality of shaves I was getting with my DEs, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to take the plunge.

So far, it's been two passes with the straight (a 5/8 Cook, Everett & Pennell "Pearl"), finishing with a DE or Mach 3. After the first two passes, I'm "presentable", but most definitely not BBS. Blood loss has been minimal though, much to my surprise!

There appears to be a great deal to learn about the care and feeding of a straight. I honed it with assorted grits (600-2000) of wet-dry sandpaper on plate glass and I strop with an old belt. The sandpaper routine works on my chisels and drawknives so I thought I'd try it with a razor. Passes the HHT, so I figure that's not horrible.

I hope I can pick up a few pointers here, while avoiding any trips to the ER! Thanks for having me!