Welcome`to the forum...a`great place with great members`offering lots of knowledge and information to help you enjoy your new hobby which will turn into an obsession...like many things in life as you gain knowledge and try different razors, your tastes will change...many of the members started out with a feather razor and not to take away from it, the shave cannot compare to that of a honed, stroped shave ready str8 razor for closeness and comfort...not to mention the enjoyment of collecting razors, learning the skills necessary to hone and strop your own razors...there are many choices available to the shaver novice or expert...razor grinds, blade size, balance and asthetics of the razor...strops paddles pastes shaving cremes soaps and different brushes...it goes on and on...enjoy what you have but buy a shave ready razor, a strop from one of the members on the forum read everthing you can in the newbies section, buy one of lynn's shaving dvd...half the fun is searching for the perfect shave! ask all the questions you want no question is too silly or stupid everyone has been there...we started the newbie section to help speed up the newbie learning curve so as to help the new shaver enjoy his new hobby and avoid some of the pain frustration and suffering that many of us went thru....I am one of the moderators of this forum but if you post a question many members will jump in to help answer your questions...charlie larman