While waiting on figuring out the whole 'honing thing' of vintage straights, I decided I should not go without a proper shave. After all, how can I tell when a straight is working well if I have never had a proper shave of any kind.

I picked up an old brass Gilette DE at the flea market, wiped it off, picked up some blades (Rite-Aid brand chrome offbrands) and went to work. Holy crap! Best shave I ever had and easy too. Only the absolute tiniest of nicks down on my chin. How on earth did the big companies ever manage to market cartridges as 'better' or 'faster'? It was so smooth I thought at first that I put the blade in wrong or something.

So a big thank you to all the info here that made the moment possible.
Salut!