While I am obviously not Ad Astra, I use the Slim mostly steep. You can reduce a certain scrape with a shallow angle if you want, but it excels rather at a scraping type of cut than being utterly smooth with no blade feel. It has a lot of leeway and will cut either way, "This is smooth with the correct angle and rough with the wrong angle" is what Timeless writes. Supposedly people are to ride the cap much more than I usually do. I have it always digging a little into the skin, but this is also what makes it more effective than the other Timeless plates, IMO. I am the opposite of luv2shave in this regard, I find the 0.5 to be more efficient than the .95 Timeless plate.I don't have a Slim but love my dozens of all types of Olds. I use them with a steep angle. So, I also would like to know if you are using the Slim with a steep or shallow angle. If the Slim can be used with a steep angle it will be definitely a candidate for my next purchase...