You got it ... "that blade making itself well known on my face if things aren't just right".
I, too, find it an aggressive shave and I'm very aware of the blade when shaving, but what a shave! If you want close, this is the razor. FergieBilly has one, too (my old one) and I have another ... which I bought after giving mine to Billy. Dizzy me, I know
Anyway, folks on TOST who have tried these (and the Keen Kutter) report mild shaves! Go figure ...
One chap who is a seasoned Schick-head likened it to the mild modern end of Shicks. I practically spat my teeth out when I read that because even the aggressive end of Schick wouldn't shave me anything like close. Another chap who is used to all manner of queer contraptions reported the same.
I believe they went with the Schick approach and had the cap flat to face. I went with the blade about 30 degrees. Handle angle is about the same as Trac II razors, which I am very used to and can follow my face near perfectly, so to me it gives an intuitive shave. I think a few more shaves and you'll have it in hand, but give your baby face a short break before trying again, eh?
Now, for a practical joke, find a Leslie!