This morning I got a really nice shave with a traditional straight, and I have only the slightest lingering irritation. And I did it with a razor that I brought back from the grave and honed on my collection of barber hones.

That's a huge step for me because of all the problems I've had. Lately I've been shaving only with a Feather AC and doing pretty well. But if I don't pay attention the entire time, it's easy to use too much pressure and end up with razor burn that lingers for several days.

This razor was the Edlis Barber Co. blade that I sanded down and rescaled. (I posted a photo in the restoration forum a while back.) I was having trouble getting it to hone up on my Norton because it has a smile, and I haven't mastered the rolling hone stroke yet. So I grabbed my Gem from Tilly and started working on the edge. It came up to HHT sharp quickly and uniformly--that's what I love about slow hones. You can take a duller patch up to shave sharp with little danger of overhoning the sharp parts.

On a whim, I grabbed another hone I have had sitting in a drawer for six months. It was the first hone I bought, one of those nondescript red-brown types that are so common on eBay. I've never had any luck with it, but for some reason I doggedly hung onto it. I had an irrational attachment to it.

Well, apparently it's a really nice finishing hone. The edge it produced--dry, no lather or water--passed the hanging hair test better than just about any other edge I've ever tested. I gave it a few strokes on my diamond paddles just for good measure, and stropped it up.

The shave was the best I've had with a traditional straight. Only slight pulling, gentle on the skin, no nicks... I'm pretty psyched.

On top of that, I was using my first tube of Trumper's cream, their Limes scent. This stuff is incredible--I may not miss Proraso after all.

So anyway, I just wanted to share my excitement. As always, I appreciate all the support everyone has given me.

Josh