itās strange to see that my shaves with a straight are closer than those I get from an (admitedly very mild) DE
It gets worse. When I try (i.e. 3-pass shave), I get a closer, more comfortable shave with a straight than with any DE or SE that I own. This includes mild razors like the Feather and mild-plate Blutt, and very aggressive razors like the MMOC.
I think that the completely open blade of the straight razor provides the greatest opportunity for technique development. My skin feels better after a BBS straight shave than an equally close shave with a safety razor.