It all comes down to feel. Bottom line if the shave felt awful it was awful. Who knows they might not be 'shave ready'. Shaving on your cheeks is relatively easy and even a newb can do it. So if it was feeling uncomfortable there it might lead you to the conclusion that something was wrong with the edge. Though not good for the edge, I have shave tested razors in the past with a simple cheek shave without lathering up. I was surprised how well it did. Again not so good for the edge. I am glad you posted instead of suffering in silence. I wonder how many folks just suffer through it thinking it will get better...magically. Then again, yeah, it could be something else.