Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but... Hey there, fellas. I did my first shavin' today. Here's my gear: 1. Vulfix brush 2. Merkur HD 3. Derby blade 4. Salter's French Vetiver shave cream I watched all of Mantics videos (thank you, Mark! I bet you saved me at least two weeks of grief) and followed his advice to start with only two passes today - I did a straight down, then a 45 degree angle to the center. I didn't do a third going-upwards pass. I'm going to do what the man says and just do two passes for at least a week. I'm right handed, and all went remarkably well except for the underside of the right side of my chin got pretty chewed up on my second pass. Not sure how to prevent this problem in the future... the underside of my neck has always been particularly nick-prone (big surprise). Anyways, looking forward to many more great shaves! And, the best part - it didn't take my any longer than my electric shaver did, and it was way more fun!! -olafurson
congrats! take your time as Mantic said for he first couple of weeks. I have been wetshaving for about a year and just recently started trying to go against the grain under the nose!!