I had a rather poor first straight shave - it pulled like a right bugger for me, and was far from comfortable. That's one of the reasons we recommend new shavers start with their cheeks and sideburns only - it lets you get the angles, pressure and touch right, as well as getting your skin used to the difference from a cartridge razor. Once you've got those down, then it's time to move onto the neck and chin - I did it this way and it's worked wonders - very few nicks and very little irritation - only got a rash once, and that was from me refusing to admit my razor wasn't sharp enough and continuing to go over and over the area that it wasn't shaving properly - bad move..