What fun! Finally, an OCD for me, whoopie!

First off, I AM having a great time. I have read about the importance of
proper preparation, I spend at least 10 mins. pre-shave prep;
Shower, Proraso Preshave, Proraso Lather w/ the badger... I like the
ritual very much. Many aspects to this str8 thing, all of it requiring
good form.

I have read that what I am experiencing is NOT UNCOMMON for a new guy
to have issues with. I am getting a GREAT shave but... after cleaning up w/
the DE. The razor was professionally sharpened, shave-ready. It had oil on
the blade, & some small fine hair cuttings on it when it arrived, so it was
tested before shipped. I am not bad at angles with sharp objects, & have
started out w/ 20 deg., then tried everything from 5-35 deg. Short strokes,
longer...etc... Still, have stubble & it doesn't NEARLY cut as smoothly as
I see in videos. Tugs, pulls etc...Evidence me, never having me used a str8
before, making 3 passes [I know not recommended, but...], & not one nick is
making me think that the blade is not sharp enough. [?]

Here's my Str8 kit:

* 5/8 Dovo Pearlex
* Camellia Oil
* Shavemac 177 #23 Finest Badger
* 3" Latigo & webbed strop. (Also have felt w/ .5 diamond
spray that I haven't used yet.)
* [You-name-it] Proraso this & that.
* Set of Nani's [5,8,12K] for down the road. (Not going to do it
myself right away. I'll send it in first, don't worry).
* Dia-sharp 325 for lapping.

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Below is my Shave Log for the week:

03OCT11 - [Day one]
1. HHT......failed, but not a reliable test for a newbie .
2. Shave hair on back of hand ....not really well.
3. Thumbnail test............smooth, no digging at all.
[Was shave-readied before it arrived.] Went ahead w/ shave test..
Shaved whole face 3x. Right & left-hand! No cuts! Razor seems dull.
Cleaned up w/ the DE.
04OCT11 - 25x on leather. Helped a little...but pretty much same story. My
angles are correct. Maybe more experimenting on that next time.
05OCT11 - Too much pulling. Stopped halfway & stropped on webbed fabric 25,
leather 50. Just can't get near a stubble-free first pass.
06OCT11 - Still tugs. Short strokes don't help. My beard is like iron, &
thick. Trying very shallow angles, to steep ones. Finding
the 20 deg.still working best. 20-25 deg. makes more noise.
07OCT11 - Upped the stropping to 30 webbed fabric, 60 leather. Tried keeping
lather a little more wet, hoping that would help cut better. Still,
about same performance. Only seems to mow down c. half of the hairs
in the first reduction. Maybe focus on stropping.

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SUMMATION: I do have a very thick beard. I was a 2-shave-a-day PFC many years
ago & have some follicles w/ 3 or so hairs in each. Perhaps then, this
is normal?

In any case, I am hoping that my stropping is the issue, and that it
will improve the edge as my technique improves.

What a groovy thing this str8 stuff is. Love it!

Any thoughts on the matter? All too common, right? Open to suggestions...