diff --git a/extra_test.go b/extra_test.go
index e968a28..6434776 100644
--- a/extra_test.go
+++ b/extra_test.go
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ func TestScalarInvert(t *testing.T) {
 		var check Scalar
 		check.Multiply((*Scalar)(&x), &xInv)
 
-		return check.Equal(&scOne) == 1 && isReduced(xInv.Bytes())
+		return check.Equal(scOne) == 1 && isReduced(xInv.Bytes())
 	}
 
 	if err := quick.Check(invertWorks, quickCheckConfig32); err != nil {
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ func TestScalarInvert(t *testing.T) {
 	var check Scalar
 	check.Multiply(&randomScalar, randomInverse)
 
-	if check.Equal(&scOne) == 0 || !isReduced(randomInverse.Bytes()) {
+	if check.Equal(scOne) == 0 || !isReduced(randomInverse.Bytes()) {
 		t.Error("inversion did not work")
 	}
 
diff --git a/scalar.go b/scalar.go
index d9cd49b..bb4e791 100644
--- a/scalar.go
+++ b/scalar.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 package edwards25519
 
 import (
-	"crypto/subtle"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"errors"
 )
@@ -21,20 +20,11 @@ import (
 //
 // The zero value is a valid zero element.
 type Scalar struct {
-	// A Scalar is an integer modulo l = 2^252 + 27742317777372353535851937790883648493.
-	// Internally, this implementation keeps the scalar in the Montgomery domain.
+	// s is the scalar in the Montgomery domain, in the format of the
+	// fiat-crypto implementation.
 	s fiat_sc255_montgomery_domain_field_element
 }
 
-var (
-	scZeroBytes     = [32]byte{0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0}
-	scOneBytes      = [32]byte{1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0}
-	scMinusOneBytes = [32]byte{236, 211, 245, 92, 26, 99, 18, 88, 214, 156, 247, 162, 222, 249, 222, 20, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 16}
-
-	scOne      = Scalar{[4]uint64{0xd6ec31748d98951d, 0xc6ef5bf4737dcf70, 0xfffffffffffffffe, 0xfffffffffffffff}}
-	scMinusOne = Scalar{[4]uint64{0x812631a5cf5d3ed0, 0x4def9dea2f79cd65, 1, 0}}
-)
-
 // NewScalar returns a new zero Scalar.
 func NewScalar() *Scalar {
 	return &Scalar{}
@@ -92,12 +82,10 @@ func (s *Scalar) SetUniformBytes(x []byte) (*Scalar, error) {
 	if len(x) != 64 {
 		return nil, errors.New("edwards25519: invalid SetUniformBytes input length")
 	}
-	var wideBytes [64]byte
-	copy(wideBytes[:], x[:])
 
-	// TODO: We should deprecate scReduce as well, but we retain it here for consistent behavior
+	// TODO: replace scReduce with a limbed reduction.
 	var reduced [32]byte
-	scReduce(&reduced, &wideBytes)
+	scReduce(&reduced, (*[64]byte)(x))
 
 	fiat_sc255_from_bytes((*[4]uint64)(&s.s), &reduced)
 	fiat_sc255_to_montgomery(&s.s, (*fiat_sc255_non_montgomery_domain_field_element)(&s.s))
@@ -112,21 +100,21 @@ func (s *Scalar) SetCanonicalBytes(x []byte) (*Scalar, error) {
 	if len(x) != 32 {
 		return nil, errors.New("invalid scalar length")
 	}
-
-	// Use bytes here because the original logic assumed the old 32-byte LE representation
-	ss := [32]byte{}
-	copy(ss[:], x)
-	if !isReduced(ss[:]) {
+	if !isReduced(x) {
 		return nil, errors.New("invalid scalar encoding")
 	}
 
-	fiat_sc255_from_bytes((*[4]uint64)(&s.s), &ss)
+	fiat_sc255_from_bytes((*[4]uint64)(&s.s), (*[32]byte)(x))
 	fiat_sc255_to_montgomery(&s.s, (*fiat_sc255_non_montgomery_domain_field_element)(&s.s))
 
 	return s, nil
 }
 
-// isReduced returns whether the given scalar in 32-byte little endian encoded form is reduced modulo l.
+// scalarMinusOneBytes is l - 1 in little endian.
+var scalarMinusOneBytes = [32]byte{236, 211, 245, 92, 26, 99, 18, 88, 214, 156, 247, 162, 222, 249, 222, 20, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 16}
+
+// isReduced returns whether the given scalar in 32-byte little endian encoded
+// form is reduced modulo l.
 func isReduced(s []byte) bool {
 	if len(s) != 32 {
 		return false
@@ -134,9 +122,9 @@ func isReduced(s []byte) bool {
 
 	for i := len(s) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
 		switch {
-		case s[i] > scMinusOneBytes[i]:
+		case s[i] > scalarMinusOneBytes[i]:
 			return false
-		case s[i] < scMinusOneBytes[i]:
+		case s[i] < scalarMinusOneBytes[i]:
 			return true
 		}
 	}
@@ -162,42 +150,54 @@ func (s *Scalar) SetBytesWithClamping(x []byte) (*Scalar, error) {
 	if len(x) != 32 {
 		return nil, errors.New("edwards25519: invalid SetBytesWithClamping input length")
 	}
+
 	var wideBytes [64]byte
 	copy(wideBytes[:], x[:])
 	wideBytes[0] &= 248
 	wideBytes[31] &= 63
 	wideBytes[31] |= 64
+
+	// TODO: replace scReduce with a limbed reduction.
 	var reduced [32]byte
 	scReduce(&reduced, &wideBytes)
+
 	fiat_sc255_from_bytes((*[4]uint64)(&s.s), &reduced)
 	fiat_sc255_to_montgomery(&s.s, (*fiat_sc255_non_montgomery_domain_field_element)(&s.s))
+
 	return s, nil
 }
 
 // Bytes returns the canonical 32-byte little-endian encoding of s.
 func (s *Scalar) Bytes() []byte {
-	// This pattern, called "outlining", allows this function to inline so the
-	// allocations can occur on the caller stack rather than escaping to the heap.
-	// See https://blog.filippo.io/efficient-go-apis-with-the-inliner for more details.
+	// This function is outlined to make the allocations inline in the caller
+	// rather than happen on the heap.
 	var encoded [32]byte
 	return s.bytes(&encoded)
 }
 
 func (s *Scalar) bytes(out *[32]byte) []byte {
-	var limbs fiat_sc255_non_montgomery_domain_field_element
-	fiat_sc255_from_montgomery(&limbs, &s.s)
-	fiat_sc255_to_bytes(out, (*[4]uint64)(&limbs))
+	var ss fiat_sc255_non_montgomery_domain_field_element
+	fiat_sc255_from_montgomery(&ss, &s.s)
+	fiat_sc255_to_bytes(out, (*[4]uint64)(&ss))
 	return out[:]
 }
 
 // Equal returns 1 if s and t are equal, and 0 otherwise.
 func (s *Scalar) Equal(t *Scalar) int {
-	st := t.Bytes()
-	ss := s.Bytes()
-	return subtle.ConstantTimeCompare(ss[:], st[:])
+	var diff fiat_sc255_montgomery_domain_field_element
+	fiat_sc255_sub(&diff, &s.s, &t.s)
+	var nonzero uint64
+	fiat_sc255_nonzero(&nonzero, (*[4]uint64)(&diff))
+	nonzero |= nonzero >> 32
+	nonzero |= nonzero >> 16
+	nonzero |= nonzero >> 8
+	nonzero |= nonzero >> 4
+	nonzero |= nonzero >> 2
+	nonzero |= nonzero >> 1
+	return int(^nonzero) & 1
 }
 
-// scMulAdd and scReduce are ported from the public domain, “ref10”
+// scReduce is ported from the public domain, “ref10”
 // implementation of ed25519 from SUPERCOP.
 
 func load3(in []byte) int64 {
diff --git a/scalar_test.go b/scalar_test.go
index 39d5413..366f0d4 100644
--- a/scalar_test.go
+++ b/scalar_test.go
@@ -14,17 +14,21 @@ import (
 	"testing/quick"
 )
 
+var scOneBytes = [32]byte{1}
+var scOne, _ = new(Scalar).SetCanonicalBytes(scOneBytes[:])
+var scMinusOne, _ = new(Scalar).SetCanonicalBytes(scalarMinusOneBytes[:])
+
 // Generate returns a valid (reduced modulo l) Scalar with a distribution
 // weighted towards high, low, and edge values.
 func (Scalar) Generate(rand *mathrand.Rand, size int) reflect.Value {
-	s := scZeroBytes
+	var s [32]byte
 	diceRoll := rand.Intn(100)
 	switch {
 	case diceRoll == 0:
 	case diceRoll == 1:
 		s = scOneBytes
 	case diceRoll == 2:
-		s = scMinusOneBytes
+		s = scalarMinusOneBytes
 	case diceRoll < 5:
 		// Generate a low scalar in [0, 2^125).
 		rand.Read(s[:16])
@@ -86,7 +90,7 @@ func TestScalarSetCanonicalBytes(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("failed scalar->bytes->scalar round-trip: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	b := scMinusOneBytes
+	b := scalarMinusOneBytes
 	b[31] += 1
 	s := scOne
 	if out, err := s.SetCanonicalBytes(b[:]); err == nil {
@@ -236,10 +240,10 @@ func (notZeroScalar) Generate(rand *mathrand.Rand, size int) reflect.Value {
 }
 
 func TestScalarEqual(t *testing.T) {
-	if scOne.Equal(&scMinusOne) == 1 {
+	if scOne.Equal(scMinusOne) == 1 {
 		t.Errorf("scOne.Equal(&scMinusOne) is true")
 	}
-	if scMinusOne.Equal(&scMinusOne) == 0 {
+	if scMinusOne.Equal(scMinusOne) == 0 {
 		t.Errorf("scMinusOne.Equal(&scMinusOne) is false")
 	}
 }