Hello everyone. I'm fairly new around here, and I'm excited by all the info that is here. About a month ago I ordered a Merkur Vision shave set and threw away that awful 3 bladed thing I had been using for far too long. The Merkur was great, took me back 35 years to when I first started shaving. Great shaves, but now... I have two straights (double duck, the plum) and learning to strop them. Well, I just finished using the DD, it was tough going. Didn't want to push my limits too far for the first time. I must say that the shave went real good! No blood! Not the best shave I've had, but no blood. The main trouble I had was just getting comfortable with holding the blade and using either hand to shave with. Getting rid of old habits can be rather hard. But, I think I'm gonna like this.... a lot! Well, I off to strop and can't wait until I need a shave again.