Skin Deep - Men Try to Master Shaving the Old Way in Manhattan - NYTimes.com

Courtesy of Stef: Skin Deep - Men Try to Master Shaving the Old Way in Manhattan - NYTimes.com: "Modern men have been spoiled by today’s razors, taking for granted the ever-increasing number of blades from Trac II to Mach3 to Quattro to the five-bladed Fusion.... Operating a straight razor is different. It requires the precision of a surgeon and the flexibility of a yoga master. My twisted arms were in the right position, but now they had to move a blade in precisely the right direction, keeping it at the right angle, and exerting the right amount of pressure on my face all at the same time. So much for that. The vertical slice on my cheek was about a centimeter long."

Yes, the first couple of months using a straight razor are the hardest. After that, you learn the contours of your face in ways you never thought possible, and once your hands stop shaking, you even start to get not-sucky at using the razor with both hands.