Guess ill post my #2 also

This went way better than #1. This time I spend a good deal of time on pre-shave work. Did the hot rag, showered, and even exfolated (sp).

The cheeks are still mostly smooth (almost 12 hrs later). The neck actually did ok WTG, and I plan on staying on the WTG plan for some time. I did put a nice nick in the right cheek area (I have a Shuman, and the spike on it is pronounced). Other than that, the only poor spot was under the nose and above the lip. That dude still feels like its on fire. Red and bumpy. I could not come up with a good way to attack that spot.

All and all, im hooked for now. Love making my own shave cream with the brush, and the act of dragging 4" of the sharpest metal on the panet across my windpipe with out crying.:eek:

Now to just all 20 more razors to the collection......doh...wife says no. :nono:

Ah, good :) As long as #2 is better than #1 you are making good progress. The culprit for the irritation is too much pressure - don't worry if you don't cut everything - that's where multiple passes are handy.
As far as the spike goes - with proper light pressure you'll feel the spike before it cuts you.
Of course my neck stings too - I went a bit overboard today. Under my nose it's smooth and irritation free though :) Alex has a a video of coup-de-metre, but I find the spike quite useful for under the nose - I do a second pass across the grain there, but take your time.

BTW it's about 3" edge - may be that's your problem - wrong perception of depth, nice try blaming it on the spike though :roflmao

And unfortunately straights are rather addictive. Try to stick to one only for at least several weeks - keeping the setup as consistent as possible is the fastest way to progress.

Enjoy