This month marks my 1 year anniversary shaving with a straight razor. I want to give a big thanks to Lynn for creating this site, and everybody here for the fantastic advice!

Things I've learned

1) I still don't like to shave, but with a full 3 pass shave I can get by only shaving 3x per week. And the routine is far more enjoyable than the mindless disposable razor and canned shaving cream experience....

2) Keeping the eye on the razor at all times, either directly, or through the mirror, will avoid hand cuts and faucet dings

3) When using puck soap, less water is more... I squeeze 90% of the water out of my brush before I load with soap, and drizzle water back into the brush to get the right moisture ratio. When it is right, it'll burst into thick creamy lather.

4) Coticules are cool. They may not provide the sharpest edge, but they are incredibly smooth. Plus they look nice. Thank you Bart for the great tips on how to use these things.

5) When using coticule + slurry, need to ensure all parts of the edge get the same hone time to avoid a frown. A 45 degree slant stroke works well during the slurry stage.

6) When in doubt, buy more razors... there is no way to know what you like until you try them, and they sell easily if they don't suit you.

7) New strops will be nicked within one week no matter what... (and won't be nicked for months afterwards...)

8) Those that shave with a straight seem to understand the problem of trading off skill for convenience...

-Chief