Originally Posted by
FloorPizza
Your list of stuff you got shows that you definitely did your homework before buying. There's only one other thing I'd suggest as a fellow newb: get a second straight razor. One that you can *practice* honing on. Buy a cheapie off of ebay. Then send your good razor to a honemeister. That way you can compare your honing work to how sharp a straight can really be. You will be *very* surprised to find that your definition of "sharp" will change dramatically when you see how sharp a professionaly sharpened blade is. I thiink alot of new guys quit straight razor shaving when they get several uncomfortable shaves from a razor they sharpened themselves. If your straight shaving is not every bit as comfortable as the shave you get from a DE, Mach 3, or Fusion, you are doing something wrong. Chances are very good that your blade isn't sharp enough.