6 months isn't a whole heck of a lot. I've got 2 years or so under my belt now, and I ruined my last shave with bad lather. Or more accurately bad prep. I know it wasn't the razor, I just finished a touch up on my personal hones and the second pass was smooth and comfortable. I know it wasn't the soap, because I've been using the same brand for 2 years with great results. I didn't have the lather right, I was going after 2 weeks of growth (got lazy) and skipped splashing my face with water first (again - lazy), and the soap didn't penetrate to the roots so my hair wasn't wet enough. Instead of a smooth shave it tugged and pulled like I was getting after it dry - because I was. And the sad thing is I didn't realize it until the second pass - otherwise I would have stopped and fixed the problem.