Thank you all for the great advice, it was like Christmas waking up this morning with so many replies.

I think it might be time for me to face reality and realise I have tough whiskers. As to the length of the whiskers, well I guess they aren't exactly short but not exactly long either, I guess around 1mm would be the max (given that I've not had a clean close shave since I was a teenager with nothing but a bit of fluff under my nose).

I didn't shave this morning as I shaved last night, I did have a shower this morning and figured a little hair conditioner on the old whiskers wouldn't hurt. I think I'll have the house all to myself tonight as my better half is off doing something else for a few hours. So my plan of attack is as follows:

Warm shower and hair conditioner on the whiskers for 15 mins (seems excessive but I guess I have to go overboard before I can find balance).
I'll probably throw in some steamed towels to go with that.
I've been reading about the beard reduction method using the blade flat against your skin for a first pass.
Then I'll try another WTG pass and see how that works out.
Given that I wont be rushed by any means I'll take my sweet time tonight.

I do actually have a question with regards to knowing if your whiskers have softened up. Is there an easy way to tell if anything was effective before you go into the shave?