cant keep an edge, cursed.

PeterN said:

+1 to slash all the way

I use the same technique with the lapping film with a free tile i got from a warehouse. Left a great edge that is not harsh at all. Make sure to only have the blade on the tile and not part of the handle (took like 100 laps to undo that). I then did 50 laps on the suede side of a leather strop then the nylon fabric then to leather. It really left a good edge, better that the "shave ready" came with.

Is anyone with me that a razor feels better after 3-5 shaves and stroppings?

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By that, do you mean you allowed the shoulder of the razor to ride on the honing surface? Yes, that will cause problems! The good thing is, you saw it and corrected it. That kind of thinking will help you to become a good honer. The mediocre honer goes through the motions and gets usually okay results, once he has a little experience. The great honer is the patient, resourceful, highly motivated one who observes, analyzes, and adjusts for optimum results. His edges will be as good as he wants them to be.

Believe me, as pleased with your edge as you are now, it is nothing to what you will get after you have a few more razors under your belt. When you are completely dialed in with your technique, a freshly honed razor will not improve after 3-5 shaves for the simple reason that it will be as good as it gets, when you finish honing and stropping it. Lapping film is part of the magic that will get you to that point, and it won't take long to get there.

Took me 2 months on a "loaner" combo coti..also figured out how to hone my slight smile razor as well...it really is time and patience..

No its not possible for you to hone your own blades. You must be taught by a rare sect of nomadic Sherpas, who are often difficult to locate.
You must be able to breathe the extremely thin
air that exists at the altitudes that the Sherpas frequent (usually the Tibetan highlands).
Furthermore, they only instruct new pupils on the third leap year in which a blue moon occurs.
As you can see, very few mortals can ever hope to achieve success in the fine art of honing.

Razors are the sharpest they are going to be after they leave the hone and strop. However, I know what the poster meant when he asked about them being 'better' after two or three shaves. Depending on the user, the blade can mellow out a bit and feel more comfortable. I've noticed this on trips when I was using the same razor for several weeks on end. While the razor wasn't getting sharper, the shaves were getting smoother - to a point. This is similar (to me) to the reaction many have with Feather AC blades. Many claim to get a better shave the third or fourth use. I just used my SS for the fifth time this morning and it was starting to drag but the shave was still nice and less intense than with the new blade.

However, I prefer the sharper blades and usually don't even try to use a blade more than once without touching it up unless I'm on the road (Feathers excluded)

Debrushman said:

No its not possible for you to hone your own blades.

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I agree. Completely out of the question. There is only one person capable of doing it in this hemisphere. All of us who claim we do it, secretly send the blades to her. She hones about 300 a day and makes seven figures a year. However, the rest of us look good so we don't say anything.

There can be only one.

I have also noticed less burn since I have been progressively using after honing. Could be that I have been getting better at shaving, or developed a better 3 pass technique.

I'm still new to honing myself only like 2 almost 3 years and it has been pretty fun just using my coti's to get my collection all shave ready. I didn't follow all the advice because I jumped in head first and had to learn quick how to do it all while at the same time destroying a strop and my face. After like a few months of getting more razors to practice on from various sources, I eventually got it. It's patience you must learn and it can be fun to dull a blade then bring it back and then Bam a nice shave no issues. Your not cursed it happened to me and then success. Just get, you know, a few more razors to "practice" on.

When I began shaving with a DE I could get only one decent shave from a blade. The second shaves were always bloody. Then after trying different products and learning a few things and practice I could get three shaves out of a blade, then five or more. It is the same thing with straights. More honing and shaving experience will improve the durability of the edge.

You probably need to reset the bevel and then move on from there.