It continues to improve with time.

Well, a few months into this adventure and it continues to get better. I have four beautiful vintage straight razors, two from Germany, one from England, and one from the good old U.S.A.. Thanks to gssixgun, they're all sharp (extremely sharp) and look great. I've tried several soaps/creams and post shave products, which has lead me in a direction for those I will likely continue to use. I'm up to three brushes and have figured out which works best for soaps/creams, as well as lathering on the face or in the mug. After much research here, and a lot of practice, I've got the strop down pretty well. For this, the best advise I've been given is, step one; don't make it worse, step two; work at making it better without making it worse, and finally step three; make it better. Even the shaves have become better. A lighter touch and a few more passes yields a better shave than a steep angle, more pressure, and digging in on a single pass.

My DE's still provide a closer shave in a shorter time, but the lengthy times I now spend with the straights is getting progressively more enjoyable, and the shaves continue to get closer. One day the illusive BBS shave will appear, and I'll be happy to have mastered one more skill before I die. Ain't it grand! :beer1:

I think you and I must have started about the same time, by your join date. My 100th shave is coming up in a few days. Sounds like you are enjoying this all as much as I.

Probably the most satisfying part of my journey so far has been finally having the ability to take a razor with a really good edge and make it better with stropping. I struggled a lot with stropping the first month or so and then all of a sudden it just clicked and started working.

I'm sure your BBS will happen any day, enjoy.

The straight will get better and better the more you shave with it. I live in fear of the day when my hands will be so old and feeble that they will no longer hold a straight steady enough to shave with. So I'm going to enjoy as many shaves as I can between now and then. :)