Hello Everyone,

Well, it's happened. My excitement to try a str8, has turned to flat out anxiety.

I'm on the edge of chickening out, not even opening the package, marking 'return to sender', and leaving it all behind. Then the regret and shame would set in and I would be really po'd at myself for not even trying.

Other than a good pep talk, if someone could answer these:

1.) How nervous should I be about stropping? My SR8 is a brand-new Dovo honed by none other than Mr. Abrams himself. Should I just give it 20 strokes before my 1st? More? Less?

(Fear: If strop wrong, I'll hose my blade beyond repair.)

2.) I'm going to take this REALLY SLOW. I'm only going to do one pass on the right side of my ugly-mug. What can I do to avoid getting nicked up?

Is there a similar, everyday type of thing that can give me an indicator of how much pressure to use? Something like slicing through mashed potatoes?

(Fear: I'm a manual labor kind of guy, and I won't have the right pressue, which will absolutely bludgeon myself the first time out.)

3.) How difficult is straight razor shaving to get to a point where I can do it like driving? Meaning, I don't think as conciously about driving anymore, since I can just do it.

Is this something like learning the ways of intimacy (c'mon people, we're all adults here )? Any other good analogies?

(Fear: It's too hard and I'll get discouraged.)

I understand there will positively, absolutely be a learning curve. The only thing I have been a natural at was singing, anything else in life I had to learn to do and I ain't no natural. You do not EVER want to see my on a basketball court.

Thanks everyone.