I suspect the dry lather is a big part of my problem then, along with possibly not pulling my skin tight enough. Between playing with the angles & improving my lather (it was also wetter during this latest, smoother shave) I think I'm heading in the right direction.

As for the travel box, I'll be doing a few weeks of digging before I bother starting with a design. There are literally dozens of different ways to go about it, so I'll have to find one that'll do the job, draw little enough current for a smallish battery pack to last several hours & be moderately shock-proof to survive baggage handlers.