Jwir, I've been doing the SR now for two months after using a shavette since October of last year. I got to the point where me razor would not seem to shave anything besides arm hairs. I figured my stropping technique was suspect and I likely dulled the edge due to it. By the time I got a food technique, it was too late. So I set the SR down, took a break, and went back to the shavette.

This past week I got some CrOX after watching Lynn's videos on refreshing a razor. So I did about 12 laps on the grit followed by 20 on the webbing and 50 on the leather. Guess what? Shaves great! So sometimes when one seems to hit an impasse, taking a break often is the best thing to do.

I too dinged my strop at the edges by the handles. But I consider that now to be a signal to flip the razor when I reach them. The nicks are about 1.5" from the edge of the hardware so that will prevent me from flipping too late and whacking the hardware