OK, the title is somewhat misleading - this is actually my third shave, but the first with a proper strop (the first two I tried to get away without stropping as it didn't arrive yet). Overall it's coming along nicely - a few observations/concerns/questions:

1. I really hate holding the razor the "proper" way, and I end up just holding the blade directly with my fingers and shaving much like I would with a knife on a stick. Whenever I try to do it the correct way it ends up being tedious and awkward. This leads me to believe that I might shave better with a Japanese style straight razor, where the scale won't get in my way. Anybody know where I can get one for a decent price? All of the ones I've seen go for 250+.

2. Lather is really key. I've been shaving in college, so I'm still getting used to the water here (it's much harder at home, and I'm used to lathering there) and the razor tends to skip, or not "stick" to the face without a proper lather.

3. NO IRRITATION. I've been loving this. For some reason with a single edge DE razor my face would get irritated even when I only shaved one pass with the grain. This is no longer the case. I shave as close, if not slightly closer than with a DE, and there's no irritation whatsoever. It actually feels like I'm scraping off more skin when I actually shave, but the end result is phenomenal.

4. So after my first round of stropping, I've noticed that there are some vertical lines cut into the surface of the leather. It happens on the "return" trip, and it seems to kind of slice in regardless of how I strop. Is this a problem with the edge of the razor, or the way I'm stropping it (hell, it could be normal for all I know)? I don't seem to notice any problems when I'm actually shaving.

5. Each shave has been getting progressively better, at a much faster pace than I thought it would take. The first shave was so-so, didn't cut myself but just presentable. Second shave was somewhat better, with a bit closer shave. Third shave was as close as I need, not BBS but no complaints at all. I can't wait to see how good it eventually gets.

6. It's really hard to cut yourself with one of these if you know what you're doing. I've actually held the blade perpendicular to my skin on accident once, and I didn't get nicked. If I ever tried that with a DE and a Feather, I'd definitely be bleeding. I think that the blade is actually duller than a DE, but shaves better because of the weight and heft of the straight - this is all conjecture, perhaps someone more well-versed in the subject can give a real answer.

I would like to thank the members of this forum. I don't post much because there's so much info in past threads that I end up lurking much more. That being said, I appreciate the time and effort that all of you put in to making this hobby more accessible to all.

Finally, before I forget, my setup:
Razor: Dame Stoddard and Kendal, 5/8 hollow
Strop: Latigo apprentice
No hone just yet - I shave ~twice a week so I can see myself going a good 3 months before I'll need to hone
Brush: Crabtree + Evelyn Best Badger (I think it's the rebadged Edwin Jagger) Medium
Soap: C&E sandalwood