Just to throw in my .02. I am on my second shave with the ralf aust 5/8, also being my second straight razor shave ( been using a merkur futur for a long time, decided to take the straight razor plunge). I don't own any other str8s, but I agree that it is a quality build and aside from my newbie mistakes, it does shave nice. I bought it from SRD..... man, it's got a wicked sharp edge (meant in a good way)