I did some forum reading and saw some posts about testing the razor on arm hairs. I tried it and found that it is even grabbing/pulling on my arm hairs. I have withheld the vendor's name, but I will post it here now. I purchased from Vintage Blades and paid the additional $20 to have the razor prepped by Lynn Abrams. There is even a label on the box that states that the razor does not need to be stropped prrior to first use. I have sent an email to Jim at VB and I'm awaiting his response. This was not the best time to start experimenting with a new shaving technique. I just started a new job and it was actually the reason I looked into straight razor shaving in the first place. I wanted to get a close shave that lasted throughout the day. In the mean time, I don't even know if I can use the DE. My face is not having the best reaction to blade shaving - period. Neal