Thank you @Razorfeld - stropping issues.
I wanted to post a thread to all beginners - USE THE MENTORS!!! These are awesome people. I was about done with straights until @razorfeld took me aside via email and gave me some advice. The straight shaving experience is 100% dependent upon technique. Took about a month of ranting at him on email post-shave, but he politely guided me through it all. The mentors are here for a reason, so use them. I went from wanting to quit straights to getting perfect 10 min shaves within a few months of tutoring. 90% of the time, you don't need a hone, you just need to learn how to strop and you'll have awesome shaves.