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

Little update after some more use, to remember I took 0.9 and 1.1 gaps in Ti

After more use I dare to say I strongly prefer 1.1 over 0.9 for every second day shave.
0.9 is nice for daily use, but 1.1 can give superior and deeper shave. With time 1.1 is becoming more and more smooth, similar as La Faulx ++
As always, YMMV. For me 1.1 is slowly becoming one of best DE razors in my little collection.

Atelier Durdan N°7 1.1 w/ Titanium handle
PolSilver
Grooming Dept Bergamot & Lavender
Trotter
Myrsol Formula K
Myrsol Emulsion

On to the review. Put on Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band on Pandora to set the mood. I made a gorgeous lather from GD B&L in my CaYuen bowl with my Trotter M1 Manchurian brush. Then applied Myrsol Emulsion as pre-shave and lathered. 

1st Pass - I set the angle and went to work. I immediately noticed that this blade gap is not to be messed with. With the first stroke I noticed and said : “Okay, it’s no joke” - I need to really pay attention. The N°7 1.1mm plate is definitely for those who like blade feel. I used to love this kind of blade feel, sorta reminds me of the Carbon Cx .68 original plate. Imo N°7  1.1 is similar to Carbon Cx .68 with both plates having that excessive blade feel I used to love but nowadays I prefer slightly less blade feel (my skin changed alot the past year or maybe my preferences have). Both razors have exact same efficiency imo. Ymmv. 

Back to 1st pass / WTG - I shaved carefully, almost too cautiously and completely took down most of the growth. It did it’s job very well. So far, I prefer the blade feel of the .7mm. For me, the 1.1 plate would be ideally used for 3-5 days growth, definitely not every other day, ymmv*. It was smooth with that very present blade feel. It was more efficient than the .7mm plate.

2nd Pass - XTG - Across the Grain Pass was immediately uncomfortable on my neck but went ahead anyway. It was okay on my cheeks, but for  mustache area, N°7  1.1 felt like it could bite, but no nicks or cuts. I think this was due to the positive +0.13 mm exposure more so than the 1.1mm gap. Imo in my wet shaving journey, I noticed that the exposure and geometry play the biggest role in how a razor behaves, effectiveness and smoothness. Ie: I can use my AD Le Maurice 1.6 gap (+0.05mm exposure) with no issues. After the XTG I felt my skin get a little raw and I could sense that the Myrsol Aftershave was going to burn at the end. 

3rd Pass - ATG - So for this pass, I was proven wrong. I thought that this was going to be a blood bath, and definitely get a nick or 2. Wow, I was surprised at how smooth it was. Smooth sailing all the way and same experience during this pass as the N°7 .7mm plate. Very happy with the BBS results. Aftershave burned alot, but after the burn went away, my skin felt great, and it was smooth like glass. 

Shave results were stellar, but you do have to be mindful and pay attention. This shave will definitely last longer than the .7 plate. Overall, I’m really impressed by the geometry and how it meets the needs for different wet shavers. 

My inquisitiveness has me trying the mild .3 plate. Let’s see what it can bring to the table. Next shave, Thursday….Thank you everyone for reading thus far. 
I hope this review helps, 

Cheers!! Thank you again for the opportunity to GlazedBoker
andrewjs18
@Atelier DURDAN

Atelier Durdan N°7 0.3 plate w/ H&S handle
[Review coming out tomorrow]

Atelier Durdan N°7 .3 plate Summary

Shave went flawlessly from start to finish. The H&S Ss handle worked the best on this razor head and balanced it perfectly, loaded same PolSilver blade. The shave was much better than I read in the reviews. It is not that mild surprisingly, it is very comfortable shave, low-mid aggression (maybe high end mild, I would describe it as. The shave got me the results I was expecting - a solid DFS. The .7 plate is for me, my goldilocks so far, as that’s where I like to have my efficiency and blade feel at. .3 plate was the smoothest plate I tried out so far, also with the least amount of blade feel. I actually enjoyed the acoustics on the 1.1 and .7 plates better (louder). Without further ado, on to the shave:

1st pass - wtg - felt very similar to the .7 not as efficient but the angle somehow is more intuitive. I noticed despite the .3mm, it’s still effective .. this plate is definitely more efficient than a tech or feather as-d2 but in that wheelhouse of comfort. I’m sure if I added a Kai or Feather it would of been a deeper shave. It performed admirably and mowed down the growth. 

2nd pass - xtg - so so smooth, felt as smooth as the la faulx+ going across the grain. It contours your neck very well and you can comfortably go over the same spot many times. No nicks or irritation so far. This is the blade gap to shave with at 4-5 AM, when you have your eyes half shut and still sleepy. Smoother than .7 but not as efficient during this pass. Fantastic shave so far.

3rd pass - atg - smooth as buttah during the money pass. Wonderful atg on my neck and even did okay on my trouble spots. A little more buffing required but again excellent pass. Super mild almost no blade feel and a pleasure in use. I’m confident to say that .5mm plate would fit most people perfectly for a daily driver imo. .3 plate would be closest to my pre-war tech. 

Overall, excellent shave if you like a mild daily driver. 9/10 shave and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. This plate is definitely not for me as I like a little more efficiency and blade feel from a razor. Highly recommended the Atelier Durdan N°7

Final Shave with the Atelier Durdan N°7 
0.7mm plate w/ H&S handle
[Review coming out tomorrow]

Review same as post #297 with the .7mm gap 10/10 shave, Flawless. Nothing to add except, I will be ordering the .7 Atelier Durdan N°7. Augustin knocked it out of the park. I 100% endorse this razor and recommend it to anybody that enjoys blade feel, I do and found .7 to work best for me. 

Thank you once again for this wonderful pass-around and opportunity, Augustin Atelier DURDAN  and GlazedBoker Gus & andrewjs18 for arranging this pass-around. Cheers!, consider me a fan

I really enjoyed my time with this beautiful razor. Big_T you’re up next. you’re in for a treat, I can’t wait to hear your impressions. Please Pm me your address so I can get it to you.

Excellent choice and review Marius Calm_Shaver

For me Atelier Durdan N°7 with 1.1 gap is in my personal top 5 DE. After couple weeks I can use it frequently with big pleasure and fun with absolutely 0 irritations. Only some of my best razors shave in this way. Highly recommend this razor and don't be scared from first strokes if blade feels like too much. With proper technique it become so smooth like La Faulx for me. I prefer 1.1 over 0.9 plate (in sale section soon) and considering now also bigger gap 1.3 or 1.5

GlazedBoker  Calm_Shaver  The No.7 has been received in fine condition for it's visit with me here in North Carolina.  

First impressions are this is indeed a very beautiful, intricately machined razor.  The base plates are like fine jewelry.  As others have said, the handle feels heavy, especially since the head is very thin and light.  Holding the assembled razor in my hand it does feel ok, but the proof will come tomorrow morning with my first shave.  I may try my La Faulx handle with it later on. 

The only negative I have thus far is the wooden box is not up to the same standard as the razor.  For the price of the box I would like to see dovetail joints instead of the 45 degree glued corners.  And the hinges are rather flimsy and cause the lid to be slightly uneven with the lower section, requiring a slight "tweek" to get the lid latched.  But I'm not really a potential customer for the box, so it's no big deal to me. 

Looking forward to getting this beautiful razor wet in the morning. 

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 - Completed
10. Big_T - King,NC - in hand testing
11. ewk - Goose Creek, SC - next in the que
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

For this first shave I decided to try the .30 plate with a new Nacet blade.

For information, I shave everyday and my top razors are the La Faulx Classic and +, the Lambda Athena, The Timeless .95, and the Blackbird Lite.  I use the regular Blackbird or the Timeless if I happen to skip a day.

I was surprised there was a bit of blade feel.  I was expecting this .30 plate to feel like an Edwin Jagger DE89 but the more I used it the more it reminded me of the Lambda Athena, including some audible feedback. 

As I shaved, I lost any concern about the handle, it feels fine.  I also noticed the razor rinsed out quickly and cleanly under the faucet. 

After 3 passes I was so close to BBS I decided to do a fourth pass, and with a couple of touch ups I received a comfortable BBS shave.  I don't normally use an alum block but decided to see how much feedback it would give and got a tiny sting in one spot on my neck, the usual spot LOL

I would not buy this .30 plate but now I'm wishing the .50 plate was included in the kit.  Oh well, tomorrow will be the .70 plate and we will go from there.