I've been using my straights and once in awhile take my Kai Captain out for a spin. I find that the stroke is different then my straights. My stroke with the Kai can be longer compared to a shorter repeating stroke with my straight. Someone told me the straight blade is more flexible and will skip on long strokes. Interested to see if anyone else has had this experience. I do love the Kai, it can get into hard to shave places that a straight.