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

Great review Big_T

The .50 works wonderfully for me as daily 3 pass shaver who is constantly chasing the baby!!

I forgot to mention one thing yesterday, like the La Faulx, I would prefer the + or the gap markings to be on the bottom of the base plates.  This would allow one to know which base plate is installed without disassembling the razor.  I take my razors apart and clean and dry the parts separately after every shave, and then reassemble.  (except for this pass-around razor I'm returning the parts to the box)

I was hoping for a winner with today's shave using the .7 plate, but I found it to be quite a bit more aggressive than the .3 plate but without a proportional increase in efficiency.  This shave did not get close to BBS and I had to stop, and because of a couple weepers I knew better than to chase the baby on this shave. 

I'll try a steeper angle next shave but I can only describe today's shave as a disappointment.  I was hoping for a shave similar to my stainless steel Overlander but with more efficiency but the whisker removal nor the comfort matched the Overlander.  This shave reminded me of the aluminum Guerrilla that I have traded away.  I know some people love the Guerrilla, but it just did not work for me.  I had the .99 and .84 plates with the Guerrilla. 

I may skip shaving tomorrow, will decide in the morning. 

Edit: forgot to say I used another brand new Nacet this morning.  I'll try a different blade next shave.  

I shaved this morning with the .7 plate once more, but with my Razorock haloed UFO handle which is lighter (it weighs 64 grams) and quite a bit shorter (it's 85mm) than the No.7 handle.  (I normally prefer handles around 85 to 90mm)  I had thought about using my La Faulx handle but on the scale it weighs 74 grams and is the same length as the No.7 which weighs 76 grams on my scale.  As others have said, I think a Timeless Crown handle would be a good fit for the No.7 head but I sold all of my Timeless titanium a while ago.

I used a brand new Rapira Platinum Lux blade for this shave.

I got a good shave today with 3 passes giving a BBS result after a few touch-ups.  I will say that I can get a more comfortable shave with the same or better result from any of my top 4 razors.  I was hoping for some La Faulx magic from the No.7 but I'm just not getting any La Faulx kind of feeling.  Thinking of other razors, today's shave reminded me of the Razorock Lupo .95 which I no longer have. 

I will try the 1.1 head tomorrow, perhaps it could be a 2 pass shave for me.

I shaved this morning with the .7 plate once more, but with my Razorock haloed UFO handle which is lighter (it weighs 64 grams) and quite a bit shorter (it's 85mm) than the No.7 handle.  (I normally prefer handles around 85 to 90mm)  I had thought about using my La Faulx handle but on the scale it weighs 74 grams and is the same length as the No.7 which weighs 76 grams on my scale.  As others have said, I think a Timeless Crown handle would be a good fit for the No.7 head but I sold all of my Timeless titanium a while ago.

I used a brand new Rapira Platinum Lux blade for this shave.

I got a good shave today with 3 passes giving a BBS result after a few touch-ups.  I will say that I can get a more comfortable shave with the same or better result from any of my top 4 razors.  I was hoping for some La Faulx magic from the No.7 but I'm just not getting any La Faulx kind of feeling.  Thinking of other razors, today's shave reminded me of the Razorock Lupo .95 which I no longer have. 

I will try the 1.1 head tomorrow, perhaps it could be a 2 pass shave for me.

Thank you for this really helpful detailed review. I had been considering the N7 because I believe I prefer the DE format to SE, but this review has helped me decide that I am happy with my current small collection of DE razors.

Latherati just please remember that we are all different. I was ready to buy after reading Calm_Shaver 's comments on this razor. I would not want you to not buy just based on my comments. I guess what I'm trying to say is be sure to read everyone's comments to help with your decision.

Without question this is a good razor but so far for me it's not falling into my top 10 of the 60 or so razors I've had. I'm always looking for a new number one. LOL

DFS result today.  I did not chase BBS.  I used my Razorock handle with the 1.1 plate and a brand new Astra SP blade.

I was surprised that I felt very little (if any) difference in the feeling of aggression from the .7 plate to the 1.1 plate, while efficiency was noticeably better.  I think I would have got an even better shave with a sharper blade; the Astra SP was just not cutting it.  It tugged a bit against my coarse, dense chin whiskers.

I may use the 1.1 again tomorrow with a Nacet or Feather blade and see what happens.  Or I may try the 1.25 to run the gamut, so to speak. 

I'll be shipping the kit out on Tuesday.  ewk you're up next.  It seems like you and I have done this before!  LoL 

I decided to use the 1.5 plate today so now I've tried all of the plates in this pass around kit.  I used a brand new Bic CP blade today.

I sense more blade feel than the 1.1 but got about the same result.  I think the 1.5 plate might be best suited for those that shave every 2 or 3 days, or even once a week.

The .5 plate may be the best overall choice for me, but it was not in this kit.  The .3 was very mild and the .7 was bit more than I want for shaving every day. 

I'm very thankful to GlazedBoker Atelier DURDAN and andrewjs18  for making this pass-around possible.  I very much appreciate the opportunity to try this fine razor.

No 7 arrived today. Looking forward to the Saturday Morning Luxury Shave.

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 - Completed
11. ewk - Goose Creek, SC - in hand testing
12. Bbssboss - Boston, MA - next in the que
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

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 - Completed
11. ewk - Goose Creek, SC - in hand testing
12. Bbssboss - Boston, MA - next in the que
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
21. Dave in KY - Williamsburg, KY