Alan,

Thanks for the suggestions. You've got me thinking here....

I recently did an experiment with another senior member where I had him hone up razors to differing levels of sharpness for me. (I'm not naming names because I don't want anyone to read this and start questioning someone else's honing. The problem is on my end; I'm very confident in the honing abilities of those who've helped me out.) The razors started at 8K and went up through chromium oxide level sharp, plus he threw in the Feather. So I've done a lot of experimenting at the lower end of the grit scale, and it does seem that higher grit works better for me. I can instantly tell the difference between an 8K edge and one that's finished on .5 micron pastes, and my face remembers all day, too.

I haven't yet tried .25 micron paste, but that might be a good next step. It seems that the sharper I can get the blade the less it irritates.

To answer X's question, yes, I do use the toe-leading stroke, and I find that it helps a lot.

The stropping thing is a possibility. I've always looked suspiciously at my stropping. I use very light pressure and do about 40-60 laps prior to the shave, followed by 10-15 at a couple of points during the shave. My blades seem to get sharper after a few shaves, which I interpret as the edge being smoothed out and refined.

I do wipe the blade rather than rinsing, but I use a towel. There are definitely whiskers in the lather after I do a stroke, so I know I'm shaving stuff off.

The one thing that's really jumping out to me right now is what you said about doing strokes in different directions and seeing which removes the most. Especially on my chin I end up doing a million little strokes just to get it cleaned off to a minimal degree. That's why it takes me so long to shave: I spend about 15-20 minutes on the first pass, refreshing the lather several times on the places I haven't hit yet.

The other thing I'm thinking is that maybe my skin just needs a break. I've had some level of irritation every day for weeks. I might take a few days with the DE to let things heal. At very least I'll quit trying so hard with the straight, maybe just do a WTG and XTG pass and live with the stubble for a while.

Please keep the suggestions coming. I need fresh ideas on how to tackle this.

Thanks,
Josh