Hello, my name is Michael and I currently reside in Southern California. I have been interested in shaving with a straight razor for some time now. However, I have have been putting it off as my rusty and trusty Mach 3 has in general done the job. However, despite a fresh new blade, and my very thin and spotty facial hair, it recently gave me the worst shave of my life. This has finally pushed me over the edge into learning how to use a straight razor. I hope to get a better shave from now on, and I am very glad there is a community for helping out with this. I apologize in advance if I ask too many questions!

A moment of silence for my poor little Mach 3. I purchased him at a Wal-Mart 8+ years ago shortly after I began shaving. I taught myself to shave with disposable Bics, and boy were those harsh. That is what my dad had always used out of what I guess was a sense of frugality as well as a family superstition against using an electric razor. And although I am not exactly enamored with the shave my Mach 3 has given me, it was a million times better than those Bic razors. I seem to remember I purchased another Mach 3 for my dad which he greatly appreciated and I think still uses.

Anyway, time to stop reminiscing. I suppose I won't be getting rid of Sir Machsalot anytime soon as judging from the FAQ, I will need to stick with him for most of the shaving as I build up skill with the straight razor. So, I have read over the FAQ and the beginner sections of the wiki, and I am looking at purchasing my first razor, strop, and accessories. I am thinking to get a cheaper shave ready razor from the classifieds as from reading around, it sounds like my first razor will not survive my learning period unscathed. I was hoping to get a few questions answered to guide my shopping:

1. I am looking for a razor that meets the recommendations from the FAQ (6/8, half-hollow, round point), but it doesn't seem like there is a lot of razors that fit all of these requirements exactly. If I were to go outside of these recommendations, are there any particular types I should avoid as a beginner?

2. A follow on to the previous question, several of the razors in the classifieds have etched blades. Is this purely a cosmetic concern, i.e. will it make it harder to shave with, strop, or (eventually) hone?

3. After complaining about the worst shave of my life, my wife picked up shaving cream from her favorite beauty products brand (Origins BladeRunner, if it matters) which recommends applying directly to the face in a thin layer. This works well for my Mach 3, but is this recommended for straight razor shaving? Once I get a brush and mug, I will trying building a lather with it, but if it doesn't work, could I try using it directly on my face or should I go for something else? This probably also depends on personal preference, but I could use some anecdotal guidance to make my first few shaves as easy as possible.

4. Is there any razor care I should perform other than stropping? I expect to get a honed, shave ready razor, so I think it will mostly be stropping it to take care of it, but I read something about occasionally oiling the blade to prevent corrosion as well. Any tips for care would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to getting to know everyone on the forums!