Hey guys,

I just ordered Lynn's DVD before purchasing a straight, but I have to admit that there's a ton of technical info being tossed around that I see on the forums that makes the journey seem a bit daunting. My plans are to watch the DVD and then proceed to purchase my first straight and then have one of the honemeisters on here hone it. I used to shave with a Merkur Vision DE with Feather blades on with the Vision's "jaws" open to the full setting. I stopped using it when I had a hard time finding Feather blades in quantity.

I really, really do want to learn the art of the straight. However......

I suppose I'm equating delving into this with the experience of the simplicity of buying a DE and some blades and going to town. My concern isn't so much with the actual shaving procedure itself but more so with the upkeep of the edge. I already bought a hanging Dovo strop, linen/leather combo from Classic Shaving a while back. I am excited but also a bit overwhelmed by what seems to be a forest full of paperwork written on here on pasting, stropping, honing, "touching up", etc. in order to keep the edge truly "shave ready."

I suppose my question in a nutshell is: is this a forgiving endeavor for a newbie? Minus the actual razor of your choice, it seems like there can be quite a bit of accessories needed to keep up a straight and quite a bit of learned technique in order to do so. I'm a pretty technically deft person (in the engineering field), but even I feel slightly overwhelmed by all the information. I have read the FAQ and I have to say, the FAQ on this website is probably the best, most in-depth FAQ on any topic I've ever read online - including pipes & cigars - and there's no shortage of info on those

Anyway, looking forward to getting the DVD and starting out. I've finally had it with paying for stupid cartridge razors and/or disposables.

Thanks for the responses in advance

-Justin