Well about a year ago I rediscovered how enjoyable a good shave could be. I switched from shaving with from the can cream or gel to soap, got myself a good brush, spent more time on prep, and got some good aftershave balm. However, I was still shaving with my mach3.
Now I do get good results with my mach3. I can get a BBS shave, and with little to no irritation, but I remembered a couple of years ago getting a REAL shave at a barbers shop and how much I enjoyed it. So in early December I ordered a straight. Well it came today, so naturally I showered and lathered up right away.
I'm not gonna try and blow smoke up anyone's ass here, cuz its not like I expected to be perfect out of the gate. It wasn't the smoothest shave I've ever had, or the least irritating, but it was the most enjoyable.
I spent a good 25 minutes shaving WTG, XTG, and ATG twice. 2 small nicks and very minor razor burn on my neck. All things considered very pleased. The results are better than my mach 3 before I started paying more attention to shaving, and my technique will only improve.
If I can offer one word of advice to any newbies creeping this forum (like myself) before diving into straight shaving, its take your time. I definately attribute my lack of any major problems to a very slow methodical shave.