Let me try to make this clear , I love my vintage straights ( not so much the money spent on them ) I thought I was in shaving nirvana and to be fair I was .. for a bit that is .

It was late last year I was strolling around in Tokyo hands ans to my surprise what did I see but a straight razor and gear , well the brushes were all synthetic , the shaving soap rubbish. and the razor , well the razor was a disposable blade type thought to my self, ehh why not give it a go so I bought a box of feather blades and the blade holder also by feather for about 5 usd . the first shave was a bit unsteady but after that no worries at all.

funny thing is that when I am in japan and I go to the neighborhood barber he does an ok job but with the same tools i do a superior one. just like to support my neighborhood trades man
bottom line is something that has been said on this forum too many times to count. its not so much the gear but how you use it.