Good to be hear!

Oi gents,

Just wanted to quickly introduce myself and say hi to the community at large.
My name is Sako and I'm a 25yrs old. I'm a student at the University of Colorado studying Integrative Physiology. I work in a parasite lab and spend my spare time lifting weights and training for physique shows. I have a lovely girlfriend named Lori, who, incidentally, steals all my Gillette Fusion cartridges and had me so fed up with buying new ones, that I decided something needed to be done.

Although I've never had an open blade next to my face, I have shaved with a DE safety razor. I just feel like I'm ready for the next step. So here I am!

Like many beginners, I'm a bit overwhelmed with the amount of choices and seemingly contradictory advice I'm getting from online posters and straight shaving articles. It seems as though I keep reading-- "it's not rocket science", but watch out for this and this and this and this and this and this. Believe me, I appreciate the advice, but I'm a bit lost!

I'm eager to start and find a good solid beginners blade, but I feel like I'm running in circles!

Anyway, I'm eager to meet you all and hope you drop me a quick post. Good afternoon gents!

Welcome to SRP. If you have not done so already, you may want to read this:

First straight razor shave - Straight Razor Place Wiki

The advice given on SRP is just that, advice. But know it is given with all good intentions to help you succeed. What may work for some may not work for you. The fun of learning to shave with a straight razor is finding out what works for you. Post any questions you have and keep us posted on your progress.

There is a huge quantity of advice on this site, and I found it daunting when I started reading it, so I know how you feel. Bear in mind, though, that the basics of using a straight are, err, straightforward. With a bit of practice you'll be getting good shaves, and you'll feel your technique, and the results, improving week by week.

Some of the advice seems contradictory because there's a lot of scope for personal preferences, in soap, prep, blade size/shape...

The great detail that we go in for here is also partly due to the fact that many people here are going for the sharpest razor and the most BBS shave possible. I'd even go so far as to say it's a bit of an obsession with some of us. :)

If you take it slowly, and try to get the basics right, I'm sure you'll have fun and like the results.