Irritation, Bad shave with Shavette??

I've been learning on a shavette for a couple of weeks now, using some older blades and cheap cream. By old,I just mean the blades have sat in a cabinet for a few years, they're not rusty or dirty whatsoever; totally unused.
My problem is that the blades pull on my hair like crazy, even after using a pretty fair face wash and taking a hot shower. This leads to a lot of skin irritation.
I work in an environment of 125+ degrees every day, so the redness and sensitivity of skin is really getting out of hand.

I'm holding the blade at a good angle throughout, pulling the skin tight, and using a reparative facial cream after good cold water, but can't get a close shave at all without going XTG, which I want to avoid doing on the daily.

Will a better cream improve the experience or should I be looking for better quality blades/shavette?

first of all the shavette is irrelevant as long as it holds the blade securely. Second, a good shave soap/cream will definitely improve your experience. Third, take a look at those blades under a microscope or powerful magnifying glass, they may not be as sharp as you think. Get a good sample pack of blades and find one you like, I currently have been shaving with a shavette and testing out new blades and even some brand new blades suck and are irritating. And lastly, the best thing for a comfortable shave experience is...well... experience, so keep at it and youll find a pre/post/during shave combo that works for you.

Try different blades and less pressure. My barber uses derbys, they are comfortable on my skin inspite of his heavy hand. Also try not showering fest and just use towels, my skin holds up better when I apply less hot water, also try lathering and putting a wet towel over it for a minute or so, splash water on your face and lather again and shave.

With Shavettes, it comes down to pressure and angle. Extremely light pressure and start with a flatter angle and work your way up.