I have shaved exactly 7 times and so I am quite green at this. I have noticed something that I'm not sure is normal or not hence this post. OK, I bought a "cost effective" razor to start out (not knowing any better), I purchased a Gold Dollar 208. Before anything else is said, I bought it professionally honed and re-worked by Rup Razor. It is sharp, edge is straight, however, after my first couple shaves I'd always notice the blade would pull more and more towards the end which is when I would get the nastiest knicks. I have now developed the habit of stropping after between each section, right, left, and neck. This has improved the comfort of the shave dramatically.
Shave 7 has gone much better than 1, but not yet blood-free as the blade still seems to dull quickly while shaving. My wondering is, could the blade so substandard that I have to strop every step of my shave, or is it that my experience is catching up to create a better shave.
Or in other words, do I have a legitimate argument to bring to my wife in seeking approval in spending $200.00 on a new razor when this whole experiment originally was to save money? Simply put does a better blade equal less blood?