Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
When I first started using a straight, I wasn't very good at it,
and I think that's why I got better shaves from a safety razor at that time.
In the 60's when I was a child, and
in the 70's when I was a young man,
I don't recall learning how to use a safety razor
as being a real thing.
Learning how to shave with a safety razor
was like learning how to put on a hat.
(no actual learning curve, and I never heard of anybody wanting advice).
I got my first straight razor around 1973-1974. I took a bus to downtown Knoxville and got a 5/8 Robert Klass, I either couldn’t drive or didn’t have access to the car at that time. I wanted a 6/8 Puma but couldn’t afford it, being a teenager. The Puma’s price in todays dollars would be about $450. About what a nice one goes for today.
I used the Arkansas stones that I had to hone it, and I had black Arks (and still have them), but no idea what I was doing. I could shave with it but it wasn’t as good as drugstore razors - not surprising eh? The razor succumbed to cell rot over the years of non use while I was building a career and life.
This is what prompted my comments about convenience and people not being able to maintain their SR in shaving trim to compete with the DE, been there done that, got the T-shirt.
So yep, I hear ya brother!