I'm fairly new to straights and have started wet shaving only a couple of years ago.

The reason I started looking into wet shaving is that the Mach 3, the cartridge I learned how to shave on, was always slow to get a BBS shave and left my skin irritated and with lots of ingrown hairs.

But why was it slow? To start, if I wanted a very close shave, I'd have to do a lot of touch-ups, in several different spots. This friction would irritate my skin a lot, and if I had ingrowns from last shave they would most likely leave a little bump for the razor to cut off. So I had to wait 5 to 7 days for the skin to heal before the next shave.

Problem is that after 5 days worth of growth, the beard would be too long and dense, and the cartridge ended up clogging frequently, I had to clean it every few strokes and do many passes, which further irritated my skin.

By the end of the shave, the new Mach 3 cartridge I started with would be too dull for a new shave.

So I read how a DE performed well for longer beards, specially the open comb razors, and decided to give it a try. My first DE was a Parker 24C. Very nice and inexpensive razor. Got a bunch of blades and started experimenting.

The first shave was incredible. Had a 2 months beard, the razor chopped it off without clogging or anything. My fist DE shave was very comfortable, close and irritation free. I was hooked :-) and started buying different soaps and aftershaves, new brushes and two more razors.

Also, since I had almost no irritation and not a single ingrown hair, I lowered the interval between shaving sessions. I found out that I could shave comfortably every 2 days.

While I was researching the DE, I saw several people sharing experience with straights and I though they were mad. Who would want a "cut throat" near the throat? Well after having so many wonderful shaves with my DE razors, I was ready to try.

Got a Dovo Bismarck (gifted) and a 2" strop. The first shave was not very nice, but interesting enough to get me going. Living in Brazil it's hard to buy anything pertaining to wet shaving, but I decided that I would buy two shave ready, beaten up, cheap razors and a few hones when a relative went to the US.

The shave ready razors were unmatched in performance and comfort. Very, very, very close shave, smooth like I'd never experienced before, no irritation. And I now I can shave everyday and feel no discomfort.

Like sloanwinters I'm a night shaver, and I take my time to relax after a nice shower. Sometimes I even put on some relaxing music while I shave.

A smooth shave, without "chasing every hair" takes about 15-20 minutes. If I really wanna go overboard and live absolutely no stub behind, it can take from 30 to 50 minutes, depending on my mood.