Atelier Durdan N°7 razor pass around.....

I did my best to capture the cap, clamping point, and guard in this pic.  I think that is why it is such a loud shaver.  This is the 0.7 head. 



I'd love to hear from the man behind this razor, Atelier DURDAN, about his vision for it.  If I had to guess...  You can see that the neutral shave plane is clear from the top cap and guard.  Then the space there might be to allow for lather/stubble to flow through.  Did I get any of this right, and would you share more, Atelier DURDAN?

That sure looks like positive exposure to me but I guess pictures can be deceiving....

I did my best to capture the cap, clamping point, and guard in this pic.  I think that is why it is such a loud shaver.  This is the 0.7 head. 



I'd love to hear from the man behind this razor, Atelier DURDAN, about his vision for it.  If I had to guess...  You can see that the neutral shave plane is clear from the top cap and guard.  Then the space there might be to allow for lather/stubble to flow through.  Did I get any of this right, and would you share more, Atelier DURDAN?

That sure looks like positive exposure to me but I guess pictures can be deceiving....

Yes, the blade exposure is positive.  I wasn't very clear.  What I was trying to say is the top cap and the safety guard form a very clear shave plane angle.  You can see the line from one to the other.  My guess is that Augustin was trying to set a preferred angle with that part of the design.

Fourth shave - 0.7 plate, Astra SS blade(1), Wald A1 Nimbus, Southern Witchcrafts Tres Matres

The 0.7 is much better for me than the 1.1. I had a good shave, most of my face was BBS after a three-pass shave. I am using a Timeless Ti Crown handle, which I think has better balance with the light No7 head than the stock handle. But that is just me. The stock handle did give it some good inertia and stability.

The 0.7 has an intuitive angle, due to the shaving plane that is built into the face of the top cap/base plate. It is pretty easy and efficient. I did end up with more alcohol warmth after the shave than I prefer. I've been trying to get to the point where I can shave with not even alcohol feedback, but that's a big challenge for me. No irritation at all.

Today's shave 0.7 plate, Astra SS, Wald A1, Southern Witchcrafts Gothorum Tonstrina

Another good shave with the 0.7 plate. Shaved with it as neutral as possible, given the curves of one's face. Again, the design makes neutral easy to find. The sound is among the loudest I've experienced. I think I like it with a lighter handle, to balance how light the head is. At the same time, the stock handle worked better for me than I expected, even though it is handle-heavy in that configuration. This razor sure is unique and absolutely gorgeous!

The 0.7 plate is seeming to be what might be best for my face. When the No7 was first announced, I thought the 0.9 would be for me, only having read the specs. But we all know that specs are only one part of the story. This razor shaves more efficiently than the specs would tell you. The 1.1 was way too much for me. Shaving with the 0.7, I would not want more than the 0.7, it is plenty efficient. Listening to previous reviews, especially from Phoenixkh, I thought I'd want the 0.5, but I am not sure I would want less than the 0.7, as it isn't too aggressive. The 0.3 wasn't nearly efficient enough.

I am so incredibly grateful to Atelier DURDAN, andrewjs18, and GlazedBoker for the opportunity to try the No7. I'm already a big Atelier DURDAN fan and my Le Maurice 1.2 is in my top tier razors. I'm cleaning up and packing the No7 to ship to the next lucky participant, Calm_Shaver

I just received Atelier Durdan N7 razor
Beautiful presentation. Thank you, Augustin Atelier DURDANand GlazedBoker Gus & andrewjs18 for arranging this pass-around. First shave will be tomorrow with the .7 plate. 

First observation is how well manufactured and how tight the tolerances are in this razor. No7 looks gorgeous, I even like the handle but seems a bit too heavy. 

Pass around update:


N*7 Pass Around list:
1. GlazedBoker - North Brunswick, NJ - Completed
2. Phoenixkh - Gainesville, FL - Completed
3. cigarman - St. Louis, MO - Completed
4. rocket - Denver, CO - Completed
5. Dragonsbeard - Webster, NY - Completed
6. Dtownvino - Philadelphia, PA - Completed
7. Keto _ Aurora, MO - Completed
8. Spacemonkey42 - Williamstown, MA - Completed
9. Calm_Shaver - NY, NY - in hand testing
10. Big_T - King,NC - next in the que
11. ewk - Goose Creek, SC
12. Bbssboss - Boston, MA
13. wyze0ne - Farmington Hills, MI
14. Marhos24 - Armada, MI
15. Stickshift - Chicago, IL
16. Einar - Appleton, WI
17. jbreakfield - Daphne, AL
18. Rudy Vey - South Plainfield, NJ
19. WVShaver - Mason, WV
20. Lesser - Chappaqua, NY

Atelier Durdan N°7 .7 plate

From the first few strokes with the grain WTG…, I knew right away that this shave is going to be amazing. Only a few razors do that for me. With the grain pass went flawlessly with Grooming Dept soap,… such a great soap & scent, with superb slickness and glide. Mo should re-release this gem! I used my favorite blade, PolSilver. It is so effective WTG, imo it behaves more like a .90 gap razor. Minimal blade feel with a touch of acoustics to let you know that the razor is doing it’s job & cutting. The angle was practically given and I found it on the 2nd stroke, then just maintaining it throughout the shave. Finishing is great, just not a fan of the lines on the top cap from visual observation.

2nd pass Across the Grain - I immediately changed the handle before the pass. As beautifully aesthetically it is, the handle is just too heavy for my liking. Changed it to a titanium handle. Now with the lighter handle, I knew right away that this razor is something special. I immediately went into muscle memory and treated N°7 razor like I shave with my Overlander. Efficiency again is where this razor shines, and again I was surprised at how smooth it was. Corners on the baseplate and razor are nicely rounded off. It is amazing what a light Ti handle does for my shaving, as maneuverability dramatically improved during 2nd pass. No nicks cuts or weepers to speak of, just smooth sailing this pass. Great residual slickness as I rinsed off for last pass.

Final Pass ATG - The pass that divides pretenders from Contenders. Superior in every way. In Short, .70 No7 shaves as good as my Ss Karve Overlander in comfort and with much greater efficiency. My neck is super difficult as hair grows in all different directions and its hell as I over shave chasing BbS and leaving it with irritation. I couldn’t be more pleased with the ATG pass, very enjoyable while the angle is very intuitive. I loved the audible feedback. Clean up was a breeze and the .7 was easy buffing for me. I already love it’s pedigree as it definitely reminded me of my La Faulx SE razor. I love everything about the head of the razor but the handle is not for me, as the balance is thrown off and my grip is not where I like it to be but nonetheless beautiful presentation. First shave is in the books, next up is 1.1mm gap on Tuesday (I’m not a daily shaver but every other day)

Thank you everyone for making this pass-around possible. Cheers for the opportunity. Enjoy the rest of the weekend Gents!

Calm_Shaver I'm next on the pass-around list and your post has me counting the days until it's my turn. You have said all the right things to make me buy this razor immediately, especially when you said it reminds you of the La Faulx. I feel very fortunate to be able to try this razor before I buy.

I think you are very wise to wait and try this razor before you buy it.  There have been varied opinions on this razor.  I didn't find it at all as good as the La Faulx.  Others have.