OK, guys, I really need some help here. I've been at this for more than six months now, and I can't seem to get a shave that's both close and comfortable. Both closeness and comfort have improved slowly, but basically every day I have some tenderness and itching, usually on my chin and neck.

Here are some things I'm relatively sure of:
- My honing doesn't seem to be the problem. I'm sure I'll continue to improve, but I'm confident that it's at least OK. I've tried razors by several senior members and had similar problems with all of these blades.
- My prep is fine. I can get very good results with my Gillette Superspeed and Personna blades--not the sharpest blades out there.
- My beard is thick and my skin is sensitive. I don't think my stubble is wirey, but I have pretty thick hair so my beard is... resilient might be the word. It took me about six weeks to conquer razor burn with my DE. Most guys seem to get the hang of it in two weeks or less.
- My equipment is good. I'm using a Tony Miller strop, Colleen's soap, and decent razors honed on a Norton 4/8K and finished on 1 micron and .5 micron balsa paddles.

I've really been trying to focus on my shaving technique, using a light touch. The trouble is that a light touch doesn't take the stubble off my chin, forcing me to use a lot of strokes and causing irritation. Using pressure just causes the irritation to get bad more quickly. Today it took me 40 minutes to shave and I ended up with lingering irritation that just made me cranky all day.

The only smooth, comfortable shave I've gotten is with a Feather AC kindly lent to me by another member. On the first day with the new blade, I got a beautiful, irritation free shave. On the second, I found I had to use a bit more pressure, and I ended up with irritation again.

Has anyone else had this much trouble? Any suggestions for me? Fire away with questions--I know I've left out a lot of details but I'm getting a little sleepy. I'm open to anything, even suggestions on the stuff I'm "sure" about.

Thanks,
Josh