Oh great ! I took the advice of a member of this forum , who has been shaving with straights longer than I have , and 2 years ago was considered to be an authority on Japanese straight razors . And now I find out , that for the past 2 years I've been shaving with the wrong side of the razor , and I've turned it into a franken-razor by honing it improperly . The razor shaves great no matter which side I put towards my face , and I'm beginning to believe nobody knows jack about these razors .