One of the first things you'll hear is that you rolled the edge on your blade. And who knows, maybe you did. But when I first started and was having trouble, it wasn't that I rolled the edge. The blade was never really shave ready in the first place. That was the first problem. The second problem was one of being a little too timid with the blade. I had a tendency to allow the blade to glide over the beard rather than cut through it. Its a matter of simply getting the right feel for what you're doing. Shaving with a straight is very different from the other methods and has a completely different feel. Only after my razor was sharpened by someone who knew how to properly hone a razor did I finally get my groove going. And what a difference it made. Unless your angle is at 90 degrees I can't imagine needing four passes for passable shave. I would start with your razor and be sure its up to the challange. Then you know that whatever is not going right is a technique issue. Its like when you have a problem with the TV, the first thing you check is to see if its plugged in. But like others have said, don't expect great shaves right away. I would also recommend a paddle stop. Its helped me focus on running the blade over the stop correctly without worrying about how tight I'm holding the stop. Later I may upgrade to something more tradtional but for now this has eliminated one variable that could ruin my chances to succeed. Basically, try to neutralize as many equipment issues as you can so you can focus only on the shave itself. But start with the razor and be sure its ready.