crawl before you walk.......
I'm a newbie who had marginal shaves for the first few times. I actually got so cut up it looked like I shaved with a broken bottle. I agree with Tony in that some days are better than others as far as the quality of shave but they're ALWAYS better than the "Mock" 3 ripoff razor. Keep plugging along and imagine that str8 shaving is the only way to shave - it'll force you to learn, even if it takes a while. Necessity is the mother of invention; in your case, skill.
-Rob
Kelly took the words right outta my mouth!!
Another key to straight razor shaving is making the skin you are about to shave taut. That's done by pulling the skin. You'll be surprised, no, amazed at how close you can get by pulling the skin tight. You'll also be amazed how comfortable it will be also.
There's an old saying..."If at first you don't succeed...."
Jeff