Hi,

I've been reading for a while now and have been a D/E shaver for a few years. I've been trying the straight razor again for the past few weeks. I bought a shave ready Gold Dollar just to give it a try. It's pretty sharp. Had to hone it with a 4K/8K Norton after 3 weeks. I used the Lynn method. 40 circular strokes on each side on the 4K followed by a 10 X patterns and then on to the 8K for 10 more x patterns. I also find that 40 to 60 passes on the strop gets it fairly sharp. I'm using a Russian strop that I treated with saddle soap.

I'm at the point now where I can do 2 passes and I look pretty clean. But I still feel stubble when I rub my face against the grain. Still getting a closer shave with the Merkur with Feather blades.

How long does it usually take to get to the point where one can match a d/e shave?

Thanks for all the input. This site is great.

Rob