I wouldn't shave against the grain with a straight for a long time because no matter what safety razor I used it gave me a rash going AGT. Now I go against every shave with a straight with no problem. What I did learn along the way though was that a sharper blade with lighter pressure with a straight gives me less irritation and that also translated to a DE although perhaps to a lesser extent.
I see you've been at this for a while so I wouldn't presume to lecture you. Just from personal experience I can say that for years I blamed a lot on the equipment that was at least partially more because of my technique.