My first few shaves were rough to say the least. A few nicks but more irritation than anything else. I recall my first 3 pass shave requiring about 40 minutes. I was able to bring it under 30 minutes fairly quickly. I've only had one good scar that I can still see. That one came about a year into straight razor shaving. That one made me contemplate going back to DEs. I'm not a good looking guy to start with.