I had lent my Slant-bar to Mr. Italo several months ago and recently he returned it, all shiny and cleaned up, ready to go. Today I used the Slant-bar with a fresh Treet Blue Special Blade and…ouch…a searingly close shave and lots of irritation as told by the alum block. This despite using a teriffic superlather with the Karite shave soap and cream. I could feel the blade dangerously close to the skin, but try as I might I couldn’t get a light enough touch. The moral of this story: Always go slow and careful with a razor you haven’t used in a long time. Finished with the extremely soothing Hydrolast Toner and Conditioner. Ahhhh!