I think being stubborn, tenacious, confident, boyishly fanciful, etc. are what lead guys like me to try something that makes other men cringe or laugh at us. Most of us are hooked early by the sheer pleasure of the ritual even if it hurts like a bad sunburn or leaves cuts like a 14-year-old beginner. We are determined that we will achieve that bbs because we know it is possible,and we cannot imagine any reason why we should not be able to figure it out. So we set aside a perfectly good razor and begin to practice torture and mutilation on our face. Somehow we leave that den and face the world feeling as though we have conquered. Whether we actually got a good shave is not nearly as important as the new skill we just learned.
Afterward we face the world with a huge grin wrapped in irritated and/or nicked skin almost hoping someone will ask what happened to our face. And so, the first straight razor shave is the best shave ever.