I've been doing a little reading in the library section and came across a shaving chapter in a barber manual

http://straightrazorpalace.com/compo...d,3/mode,view/

I'm going to quote this source a couple of times here.

Now just like everybody else here I'm looking to remove as much facial hair as possible without irritating the skin. In this manual it says

"the second time over serves to remove any rough or unshaven spots. Close shaving is the practice of shaving the beard against the grain of the hair during the second time over. This practice is undesirable because it irritates the skin and may lead to infection or ingrown hairs."

and

"the once over shave takes less time for a complete and even shave. For a once over shave, give a few more strokes across the grain when completing each shaving movement. This will assure a complete and even shave with a single lathering."

Alright, a few questions now. On the second part I didn't quite understand the "few more strokes across the grain when completing each shaving movement" part. It seems like that would be even more irritating because you have already removed the lather. I realize most people on this forum shave multiple passes without irritation and it seems like when I was trying to get a good shave with a single pass I found myself doing more strokes and using more pressure. I'm starting to think that an extra close shave in a single pass isn't so realistic and the extra movement without the lather as lubrication would be more irritating than another pass with lather.

If anybody practices a good once over shave and can tell me what I'm doing wrong or can shed some light on the situation in general that would be fan-frickin-tastic.

also, I'm using a feather AC straight. I realize pressure should be about non-existent and the angle should be significantly reduced (with the spine almost touching the skin) but if there are any other pointers (like on second and/or third passes) this would be greatly appreciated also.