I think people are too different to have a blanket rule for everyone. I usually do one pass with and one against. If I’m in a hurry I’ll skip the second pass, but then there’s always a few hairs left that evaded the razor.
I’m another against-the-grainer. And a head-shaver. A close shave is important to me because of wanting to avoid the aforementioned noon o’clock shadow, and particularly because my wife likes smooth over stubble when she comes in contact with it.
I use a new blade after every two shaves, and avoid nicks that way.
I have similar growth to this and spent a lot of time alternating between hairy or looking like I’d been attacked by a hundred mini vampires. My Drill Sergeant (I’m not kidding) taught me how to, among other “sh” things, shave. Try this after you’ve lathered up:
- look at the ceiling
- put your non-shaving hand low on your throat like you’re going to choke yourself
- press lightly & down and pull the skin tight. This makes your beard hairs stand straight up.
- shave up from throat to jaw–you’ll only need one pass, maybe two…
After a couple times I was able to knock my shaving time down from several excruciating minutes with painful results, to a nice close shave in less than 60 seconds with no rash and no nicks. With practice it can be frightening to watch how fast you can whip that razor accross your throat.
I’ve always gone against the grain, too, by the way.
Same same, except I use a Fusion razor and change cartridges every two weeks. I can feel the tug by the last couple of days, but I’m a bit of a cheapskate and want to get every pennies worth of use out of those blades, which are expensive!
Hee hee hee… 
He’s hairy- legs covered in SPF 30 hair…
My Drill Sergeant (Training Instructor in the Air Force) didn’t teach me anything, but he did tell me I had to shave twice a day- very painful!
Thanks for the tips; I’ll give 'em a shot.
My father still shaves with the old double edge razors. Seems that’s the method of choice of the folks on shavemyface.com. I got him a nice Merkur safety razor, but he prefers the cheap one he got at t he local drug store. I think I’m going to take it and give it a shot. I just sent away for a sample pack of razors that was recommended in this guide. I’ve been a Gillette Sensor guy for years and it’s time I tried something new- I mean old.
I’m probably the weird guy here: I shave in the shower. Yeah, it takes a little practice and such, but my morning routine (when I can) involves a good few minutes under a hot shower to loosen up the skin and beard, and after which I shave. I go with the grain first, and then if I have to (as I recently learned I don’t), I go against it. YMMV.
So, shave as how you feel comfortable. I’d been shaving for dang on 12 years before someone said, “your neck looks like it’s irritated. Don’t shave against the grain, only with.” But then again Pop Trip never showed me how to shave, I just figured it out on my own.
Tripler
Best shave I had? Three days late, cold water, out of a canteen cup. Hell yes, it felt good to clean up.
Have tried: Norelco electric, other reciprocating electrics, Panasonic wet-dry (very good, in fact) and double edge, twin blade, triple blade, Toro-Whirl-Face shavers.
I shave in the shower, now, with nada other than water, and go against/across the grain.
So I don’t look like Sonny Crocket from Miami Vice . Why wouldn’t you want a close shave? Stubble is irritating.
Snap!
I shave against the grain, or the stubble that remains is noticable (dark whiskers). At the same time, shaving two or three days in row leads to irritated skin. Fortunately, being a grad student means that I can pretty much shave as often as I’d like.
I’ve gotten great results when I’ve done this – the hairs become soft enough that they cut easily, and it seems like they’re raised just a bit, resulting in an even closer shave. However, shaving “blind” yields really poor results for me, so I need to use a mirror. Unfortunately, my vision is so bad that, even with a mirror, I really am almost shaving blind. Which is clumsy, uncomfortable, and extends shower time by at least 5-10 minutes (wasting a lot of water). So I opt for the sink.
If you’ve never done it, I’d recommend trying it. Tip for keeping the mirror from fogging up: run a fingertip over the soap and then wipe it on the mirror, leaving a soapy film on the surface. Every so often, you’ll need to clean the accumulated gunk off the mirror, but it’s a small price to pay.
I have a light beard, so I only shave every other day. I go both with and against the grain. I shave with the grain first, which gets about 75% of it, then follow up with against the grain. I use triple blades and gel. My face is smooth as a baby’s eyeball untill the next afternoon. I don’t have any chest hair, either. I’d be a real twink if I was gay. :o
My routine:
In the shower, with a suction cup mirror.
With the grain to start, against the grain to finish.
My “grain” underneath my chin is asymmetrical, with most of the hairs pointing to the “right”, thus I have to shave going to my left to get them.
I shave in the shower too. I thought everybody did 
I use canned foam and the wife’s disposible twin-blade.
Medium to heavy beard.
Always go with and then against the grain and then every-which-way until it is smooth.
Never had any skin issues. Been shaving 30+ years.
That’s how I do it. Hot shower, don’t even use cream (just soap), and my facial hair practically melts off…except the one time I used a cheap hotel razor and practically sliced half my chin off. For that matter, I don’t notice any difference between using a twin, triple, or four-blade razor. As long as they’re a good manufacturer, the twin blade shaves close enough for me. Perhaps the triple is a little teeny bit better, but between three and four I don’t notice any difference whatsoever.
Oh, and I go both with and against the grain.
Another shower shaver here, with a vibrating blade (I replace once a week). First, with the grain. Then, against the grain. I use a (fogless) shower mirror to see what I’m doing.