alrighty. i'm going to get right to it. i used my newly acquired mk31, along with my tony miller learners strop. for a preshave, i used lather. i read about it on here. i used lather, let it sit, worked it in, and washed it off with a hot towel. i used my own combo of CADE soap, with a dollop of proshave brushless shave cream. man oh man. fantastic, and that was without any additional glycerin. i did the four pass shave. being as i'm used to the disposable straight, i just went all out. the length of the razor has to be double what i'm used to, but i adjusted quickly. i have been dreaming about the feel of the razor sharp, highly polished edge on my face and it didn't disappoint. there was one nick that i gave myself and i decided to use my new styptic pencil on it. those things are like magic wands, it just sealed my cut right up. so, i finished my shave, washed my face, and applied the alum. it was time to bust out my new lucky tiger menthol vanishing cream. unbelievable. no razor bumps anywhere and my face was smooth as could be. counting down till my next shave... good day.