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

Tester28 you are right, this forum is to keep artisan honest and it's very good instrument if needed.

My honest opinion about Atelier Durdan and this particular case is same as my first post about this unlucky situation. There will be solution soon and Augustin is very responsive (as also cigarman see now and received his answers)

Augustin is for me truly gentleman, without publicly speaking about 2 solutions offered (which cornbread refused (it's his right I think, we don't need to know all details at this point) so Augustin was generous and accepted all costs and customer is winner. And even better, process of quality control is now improved so best for all, for us and for Augustin too.

Anyway, I will order N7 in Ti soon, fully confident in Augustin' s work and quality. This case only confirmed my confidence in Atelier Durdan as honest and one of best artisan right now.

cigarman Did I understand it correctly?

Do you find Ares V2 more efficient as N7 with  1.1 plate? (and also as La Faulx ++ ?)

I would like that you try 1.5 more as 0.7 to be honest but that's your decision of course.. 

Yes.  In my opinion the Ares is more efficient than the 1.1.  I will be using the 1.5 at some point and my guess is that the 1.5 will be more efficient than the Ares.  As for the La Faulx ++, I found the 1.1 to be a bit more efficient or at least just as efficient as the La Faulx.  But keep in mind that is my opinion.

I'm guessing that was part of my issue with my testing: the shaving angle... I think I tried to shave too shallow. Had I switched to a steep angle, it might have been better for me...

Tester28 you are right, this forum is to keep artisan honest and it's very good instrument if needed.

My honest opinion about Atelier Durdan and this particular case is same as my first post about this unlucky situation.  There will be solution soon and Augustin is very responsive (as also cigarman see now and received his answers)

Augustin is for me truly gentleman, without publicly speaking about 2 solutions offered (which cornbread refused (it's his right I think, we don't need to know all details at this point) so Augustin was generous and accepted all costs and customer is winner. And even better, process of quality control is now improved so best for all, for us and for Augustin too.

Anyway, I will order N7 in Ti soon, fully confident in Augustin' s work and quality. This case only confirmed my confidence in Atelier Durdan as honest and one of best artisan right now.

Initially, I thought the razor had finish problem and that the box had defect. It seemed reasonable for the buyer to expect the seller to pay for return shipping. However, it turned out that only the package had an issue, and the razor's finish was as described, with no problems. I still don't know what type of finish the razor has. 

When the package costs only 10% of the total price, and the artisan offers two solutions to fix it, but the buyer wants to return the entire purchase rather than fix the package issue. It also seems fair for the artisan to expect the buyer to pay for return shipping.

Hats off to Augustine for realizing he needs to set expectations more clearly, as well as to add a QC/final inspection step.  I don't have time to check photos of any machined finishes the site.  Perhaps some better photos are necessary.

[begin edit]
Please read this post as an attempt to be fair to all parties involved.  I lost track that this thread is the pass-around thread (a buddy pointed me to page 17). I originally referred to the first photos (post #1) as being posted by cornbread.  They were in fact posted by GlazedBoker. 

The actual milling mark pattern is however100% normal.  Also, when the bit needs to make tight turns, you'll see swirl marks.  For longer surfaces, you'll see those linear "stripes" that appear on the cap.  The linear milling pattern however appeared to be non-parallel to the side of the top cap.

I found this non-parallelism to be strange and not believable.  The reason I say this is that when something is being machined, it's positioned in a fixture (think of drill press vice, for example) and the tool path is programmed accordingly.

All of this is to say the the edge of the top cap and the and the surface of the top cap are done in the same (or subsequent) operations - with a likely bit change that is done automatically.  Think of the bits being held in a rotating "holder" - something like a 6-shooter (revolver) gun.  That's the best visualization I can come up with.

cigarman's photos in post #170 show good machining and parallel milling lines. I'm having trouble tracking back however, to see if this is also a photo of the pass-around razor photographed in post #1.

It's likely that any non-parallel lines we see are photographic artifacts (wide angle lens distortion, parallax from not shooting orthogonal to the surface, etc.)

cornbread's photos in post #140 also show this non-parallelism, but again, it's inconclusive whether this is a photographic artifact.  I may have missed this, but did cornbread ever reply to whether the finish he requested was the machined finish, or alternatively one of the stages of polishing?

Also, viewing what appears to be a faint scratch in his photo, could (or could not) also be an artifact of digital photography.  We can't say.  I've set up a photo shoot for a sale of a razor which I considered to be in pristine condition, only to see blemishes when viewed on a monitor at 10x the razor's size.

So, without accusing cornbread of anything, I'd say the top cap photos are inconclusive.  The misaligned box latch however is unquestionably substandard for a product at this price.

If any machinists are on this thread, I'm open to being corrected about anything I've stated.  I hang out in machine shops, but I'm not a machinist.  I did stay at a Holiday Inn once, however

[... /edit]

When you're selling a high-end product, the "out of box" (initial) experience is critical.  If the customer sees something wrong at that point, they get their magnifying glass out, and all too frequently, their expectations become both elevated and unreasonable. It's human nature. We all do that. Yours truly included.

... Thom

I originally referred to the first photos (post #1) as being posted by cornbread.  They were in fact posted by GlazedBoker. 

The actual milling mark pattern is however100% normal.  Also, when the bit needs to make tight turns, you'll see swirl marks.  For longer surfaces, you'll see those linear "stripes" that appear on the cap.  The linear milling pattern however appeared to be non-parallel to the side of the top cap.

I found this non-parallelism to be strange and not believable.  The reason I say this is that when something is being machined, it's positioned in a fixture (think of drill press vice, for example) and the tool path is programmed accordingly.

All of this is to say the the edge of the top cap and the and the surface of the top cap are done in the same (or subsequent) operations - with a likely bit change that is done automatically.  Think of the bits being held in a rotating "holder" - something like a 6-shooter (revolver) gun.  That's the best visualization I can come up with.

I saw cornbreads pics in his post (Post #125 for me)...it is supposed to be Titanium in basic polish and it commands a premium of EU120 for the finish.

Was contemplating the same material and finish but only for the head...no handle, stand or box.

I have never seen markings like that on a brand new top cap in Ti...my diamondback doesn't have it, neither did any of my Ti Wolfmans.
Heck, even the finish on my polished Taiga looks way more refined. Maybe it is some reflection or some digital artefact ...who knows but it looks
quite off. For me, that sort of finish would bother me, even at a price of 150EU let alone 400EU + Int'l Shipping, which is what this head goes for in
this configuration.

Would love to read the reviews and impressions on this pass around, but as of now, I'd like to see more customer pictures that demonstrate QC
is restored to levels I can accept.

I originally referred to the first photos (post #1) as being posted by cornbread.  They were in fact posted by GlazedBoker. 

The actual milling mark pattern is however100% normal.  Also, when the bit needs to make tight turns, you'll see swirl marks.  For longer surfaces, you'll see those linear "stripes" that appear on the cap.  The linear milling pattern however appeared to be non-parallel to the side of the top cap.

I found this non-parallelism to be strange and not believable.  The reason I say this is that when something is being machined, it's positioned in a fixture (think of drill press vice, for example) and the tool path is programmed accordingly.

All of this is to say the the edge of the top cap and the and the surface of the top cap are done in the same (or subsequent) operations - with a likely bit change that is done automatically.  Think of the bits being held in a rotating "holder" - something like a 6-shooter (revolver) gun.  That's the best visualization I can come up with.

I saw cornbreads pics in his post (Post #125 for me)...it is supposed to be Titanium in basic polish and it commands a premium of EU120 for the finish.

Was contemplating the same material and finish but only for the head...no handle, stand or box.

I have never seen markings like that on a brand new top cap in Ti...my diamondback doesn't have it, neither did any of my Ti Wolfmans.
Heck, even the finish on my polished Taiga looks way more refined. Maybe it is some reflection or some digital artefact ...who knows but it looks
quite off. For me, that sort of finish would bother me, even at a price of 150EU let alone 400EU + Int'l Shipping, which is what this head goes for in
this configuration.

Would love to read the reviews and impressions on this pass around, but as of now, I'd like to see more customer pictures that demonstrate QC
is restored to levels I can accept.

I don't blame you for wanting to see more photos.  It appears as if the ones in post #125 are the same as the ones in #140.  I'd definitely call that finish a machine finish and not basic polish, although everything except for the top surface of the top cap looks lovely. Of course, the top cap is the most visible element ;-)

Also, for a machine finish at this price, I'd expect the parts to be tumbled.  I left that part out of my post above.  Razorock stainless razors are tumbled (at least my Gamechanger is).  Basically, the parts rotate in a drum with very fine abrasive media for about 24 hours.  The amount of material removed is on the micron level (if that).  It basically smooths out the finish, but just a bit.

In any case, digital photos can be brutal as you well know, but having clear expectations is never a bad thing ;-)

... Thom

2nd SHAVE WITH THE NO. 7. -  1.5 PLATE

Before I start my review, let me give you an update on my experience with the 1.1.  That shave, as I said, was very good.  The DFS+ to BBS quality of the shave lasted me 15 hours.

I have also attached to this review pictures of the gaps between the 1.1 and the 1.5.  Frankly, I don't have a keen enough eye to discern the difference,   BUT MY FACE DID.

On to the review.  It will be more concise than the last one.

I was initially concerned that I didn't focus on the handle and if it was slippery.  I did not find that to be the case.  The design and knurling kept the handle from slipping at any time.
This was the first time that I used a razor with this large of a gap, so I was concerned.
All conditions for the shave were the same as for the 1.1 plate.  The only change is the plate itself.

First Pass:  WTG, using a very steep angle, the razor was excellent.  Lots of audible feedback and a LOT of blade feel.  There is so much aggressiveness with this plate, that I could not, at any time, let my concentration on the shave wander.  This plate is AGGRESSIVE.  AD says it in his description and he isn't lying.  The razor removed the stubble (2 days growth) with no effort.  But, I must be honest in saying it was NOT comfortable for me.  Again, caveat, first time for me using such a large gap razor.

Second Pass:  ATG, again steep angle.  I found that when the angle shifted during my use to a shallower angle, all I felt was the blade, no guard.  This was a wake up call to go back to steep.  The pass was close but uncomfortable.

Third Pass:  XTG.  Here is where the difficulty comes for me.  Maintaining a steep angle on the neck and cheeks is hard.  I found that to offset that, I could use a very shallow angle and get a decent result.  No angle in between worked for me.

CONCLUSION:  The handle is not slippery and the weight/balance of the razor is good.  The 1.5 proved to be very aggressive, efficient.  It was also very uncomfortable.  Maybe if I had more time to work with it, my review might be different.  However, I had no such issue the first time I used the La Faulx ++.  The end result of the shave was a BBS with only 1 nick.

My next shave will be Saturday with the .7 plate.

This test let me know that I am not a candidate for such a high gap razor.  YMMV.

1.1 GAP PLATE




1.5 GAP PLATE

cigarman thank you.
I'm probably in same category and 1.5 would be too much. I think 1.1 or 0.9 are best for me.

May I ask about thread and handle options? Could different handles fit head of N7 with no issues? Like La Faulx handle for example.