Hi, guys. I've been wetshaving for a few years now and had become intrigued by the challenge of straight razor shaving. To that end, I bought one of the Parker replaceable-blade straights a couple months ago, and have been using it daily to try and build a semblance of technique before I got the real thing. Call it a "straight simulator", if you will. A couple of weeks ago, the bug bit me hard, and I ordered a 5/8 Dovo Silver Steel with ebony scales and 3" red latigo strop from SRD. They are here, but I'm holding off using the Dovo for a while. I have a new J.A. Henckels razor on its way, and I wanted to compare its edge to the Dovo's (which was professionally honed by SRD) under a microscope to see how a shave-ready edge compares visually to an out of the box one, so I have a target to shoot for when I start my own honing adventures. My wife was a licensed barber before we met and married, and she's given me an old cheapo straight which I'm using to practice stropping. I'm on my way!