Just to put a finish to this episode, here's an update:

I returned the MicroOne to the seller for a refund. But before I did, I purchased a Parker 82R
razor and a sample pack of blades from SRD. I chose a blade from the sample pack at random,
put it in the MicroOne, and tried a shave. I still didn't like the feel of the razor, so I removed
the blade and put it in the new Parker.

The resulting shave, with a proper razor and a good blade, was an order of magnitude better.
The Parker 82R is a keeper.

Thanks for all of your comments.