I'm 39 years old and---except for two days about 12 years ago---shaved with various cartridge razors until a couple months ago, when a friend turned me on to the Badger & Blade site. I bought a Vision, then a Slant and have really been happy with the improvement in my shaves.

Oh, yeah, about 12 years ago, when I was a graduate student, I took it into my head to try straight razor shaving. I went to a run-down antique shop in Chicago (where I then lived) and bought a "Super Kama" razor with a German Solingen blade and what I now know to be a "barber hone" for a total of something like $12 or 15. I had absolutely no idea how to shave with a straight or prepare the razor, but I shaved myself the next morning. As you might imagine, I got lots of nicks, cuts, and irritation and had lots of rough patches. After that first shave, I noticed a nick in the blade, so I figured I'd try my hand with the hone and shave myself the next day. Again, I ended up getting a miserable shave, so I put it away.

Then I read a thread at Badge & Blade where some guys said they get even better shaves with a straight, so I dug out the old straight razor and posted a message wondering if my razor was worth having made shave-ready. This site's AFDavis11 responded with a generous offer of help repairing and getting the razor in shave-ready condition, so I sent the razor to him. He tells me he's been able to salvage it and that its a decent razor and that he'll send it back to me when he's happy with its edge. Meanwhile I've been reading this message board and "The Art of the Straight Razor Shave" to get some idea how to proceed and I'm really looking forward to trying a straight again!

Thanks to Alan and the other members who have provided lots of good information for men like me!