Im Ralph... i currently live in Vegas, but im originally from Cali... I am a fan of anything with a blade... it has earned me the nick name Stickl'Em with some of my friends, mainly because the Spyderfly butterfly knife i used as an EDC... i unfortunately no longer have that knife, but still have others that i carry... i am in the begining stages of knife collecting, and am very interested starting straight shaving. ive researched this site and others and i am ready to make my purchases! Every knife i own was bought for a specific reason and is meant to be used and to be used for a long time. i greatly enjoy caring for, maintaining, and using my blades. one of the reasons for wanting to straight shave... even the most expensive strait blades are meant to be used, that cant be said about all knives... another reason is i like perfecting my skills with a blade. i taught myself may tricks with a bali-song and consider my twirling skills far above average... but my fingers suffered many cuts in the process... like with a bali-song, strait shaving is a skill you learn by doing, every mistake made, is a step toward perfection. i have never had a straight shave, i am uncomfortable with someone i dont know putting a blade to my face and neck, but i have always wanted one. I am looking forward to my first shave!