I bought this as a replacement for my thrift store purchase Weimar era Hoffritz slant blade razor which had seen better days and was truly worn out. Merkur took over Hoffritz years ago and this razor is a close version of my original. The indescribable effects of 6 or 7 decades of use aside, the two razors are indeed very similar. Like the original, this razor pivots (cantors?  not sure of how to exactly describe it) the blade maybe 5 or 10 degrees so that the sweeping motion of your hand combines with slicing secondary to the angle. Imagine a capital letter T and now tilt the top bar so that instead of pointing to 3 and 9 o'clock, it's pointing to 3:30 and 9:30. Dig it? The outcome is a super close shave especially good for thicker, rougher stubble. It takes a little practice and inattentiveness often precedes minor nicks, but the outcome is worth the effort. Recommended but maybe not as a first safety razor.