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

Alien technology it seems has been spotted in the Northeast...

Person who recived it has been found roaming around his house muttering incoherently "RAD killer", "RAD killer"... Authorities are investigating into it.

Un-named sources say that this person's current behavior seems to get triggered everytime he runs his hand over his face.

Fellow shavers,

Some initial background on my shaving skills or lack of them so you have more context of my commentary and how it may apply to you.

• Am an almost daily shaver (shave 5/6 times a week)
  
• Prefer the SE and DE format equally with a slight edge to the SE.
  
• Blade(s) used are either fresh or on the 2nd shave, typically Feathers, BIC, Wilkinson or Timor.
  
• Personal preference for Wolf, Lambda, Yates and Oliblade adj razors
  
• Hair is mid-coarse and jawline is pain to shave
  
• Shaving (wet) for past 7 years.
  

This was a report for the 0.3 gap plate post two back-to-back shave using same software each time. It makes the shortlist for being on the top two recommended razor for anyone looking for a sleek, slim daily shaver which shaves comfortably and efficiently with no irritation and little fear of nicks and cuts.
The machining is top notch, and the material used for baseplate and top cap has been almost minimized to a credit card thickness. Others have shown pictures etc. before so will not add to that graphics.

Onwards to the 0.7

Two days and two shaves with the #7 ... first with the 0.7 then with the 1.5

The 0.7 introduces some blade feel in the shave, a tad pick up in efficiency from 0.3 with blade feel to spice it up. For the 2 day shaver this could be a good option for sure. 

The 1.5 introduces significant blade feel in the shave, no blade chatter, however. This plate performed best when I was riding the cap. Not sure I picked up significant efficiency though it was a step-up function from the 0.7, this for me would be a 4-5 days growth removal plate. 

The 1.1 will have to be for another time as the sands of time on this pass around for me are almost done. Will revisit the 0.3 if possible before it gets mailed out to the next person. as that was the most impressive plate for me. A daily driver smooth capable almost auto pilot... 

Bravo monsieur Durdan, une merveilleuse innovation dans le monde du rasage. Viva la France.

Making the rounds nicely. Keep those reports coming Gents. It’s a true pleasure to see and read each participants experiences. To those still in, just hang in there and be patient, your turn will come in no time at all.
Great shaves to all and thank you all so far for all your efforts and for those to follow….

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 - Completed
12. Bbssboss - Boston, MA - Completed & shipped
13. wyze0ne - Farmington Hills, MI - en route too
14. Marhos24 - Armada, MI - next in the que
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

Just a quick update. The razor arrived safe and sound yesterday so I had my first shave with the 0.3mm plate this morning. I'm going to start low and work my way up.

As always the fit and finish is impressive with Atelier Durdan. I really enjoyed the low profile design of the head as well. I found the balance to rest halfway between the bottom of the baseplate and middle of the handle resulting in a slightly handle heavy bias. Nothing I couldn't adapt to quickly. Also despite the highly polished finish on the handle I had no problems with grip thanks to the engraved crosshatch pattern.

I found this plate to be mild and super smooth, but I could still feel a touch of the second use Wizamet blade. It has quite a bit of audio feedback as well. The shave itself was close and comfortable. Not BBS or anything, but I wasn't expecting that nor did I chase it. Totally passable and enjoyable even. I'm excited to try out the rest of the plates and will post my experience with each of them! (With pics going forward. Didn't have time today)

For my second shave with the No. 7 (yesterday's) I moved up to the 0.7mm plate. I found this plate to be equally smooth as the 0.3, but with a slight bump in efficiency. It honestly had more blade feel than I was expecting, but still squarely in the mid-aggressive range. This plate was also not quite as comfortable. I noticed there is quite a bit of blade exposure with this design and what you might call "unsupported" blade from the bottom side. This results in a sort of raspy feeling shave on the ATG pass. That aside I had a nice close shave with no cuts/weepers or lingering irritation.



Today's shave was with the 1.1mm plate and was much of the same. I found it very similar to the 0.7 in feel, but I actually did get an even closer result. I did end up BBS, but it came at the sacrifice of some comfort. All was smooth until the ATG pass on my chin and neck. That raspy feeling showed up again, but more pronounced this time. I really don't think it is the blade because it's a Wizamet on only its 4th use and these blades usually last me about 7-10. At any rate again, no cuts or major irritation, but the alum and splash stung a bit. I might try a different blade with this one just to see or maybe just move on to check out the 1.5mm. So far I think the 0.3 is my favorite which is a huge surprise to me given my experience with the other Atelier Durdan razors.

With you on the 0.3 being surprisingly more comfortable in my use. .. the 0.7 being a tad more efficient while losing some smoothness when using the 1.5
Riding the cap seems to make it more comfortable for me while using the 1.5

Pass around update: All members from 16 and down moved up a spot as a member requested to be removed.
Happy shaves....


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 - Completed
12. Bbssboss - Boston, MA - Completed
13. wyze0ne - Farmington Hills, MI - in hand testing
14. Marhos24 - Armada, MI - next in the que
15. Stickshift - Chicago, IL
16. jbreakfield - Daphne, AL
17. Rudy Vey - South Plainfield, NJ
18. WVShaver - Mason, WV
19. Lesser - Chappaqua, NY
20. Dave in KY - Williamsburg, KY

Yesterday I tried out the 1.5mm plate. It had a lot of blade feel as expected so this would not be a daily razor for me. Once again, smooth sailing until the ATG pass on my neck where that chattery feeling reared its ugly head again. It was a super close shave everywhere but the trouble spots on either side of my Adam's apple. For some reason this gap had more of an issue shaving that section than the smaller gaps. It really wasn't any closer than yesterday's shave with the 1.1 so I don't see where there is any benefit to using this large gap plate. To my utmost surprise I think my favorite one so far has been the 0.3mm. It was smoother with less of the "raspy" feel than any of the others and the shave, while not technically BBS, was close enough for me to be satisfied and more comfortable as well.



Today I went back to the 0.3mm gap and had nice and smooth comfortable shave. It took a little bit of buffing and clean up to get as close of a shave, but that didn't come at the cost of any irritation or anything. Overall this is a really nice razor in my opinion. If I were to spring for a high end offering this would be it and I think the 0.3mm plate is where it's at for me. I would definitely go for a copper one with the "Medieval" finish option. I just love the look of that! Oh yeah, for anyone curious I used the same Wizamet  blade (my go to) for every shave with this razor and it worked very well (per usual) even up to this 6th use on it. Many thanks to Atelier DURDAN for offering and GlazedBoker for organizing this pass around! It was great fun. The set will be off to Marhos24 tomorrow.

Razor arrived on Monday. Everything is in great shape. Had my first shave this morning with the .7 plate. I'll provide more of a review after a few more shaves!

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 - Completed
12. Bbssboss - Boston, MA - Completed
13. wyze0ne - Farmington Hills, MI - Completed
14. Marhos24 - Armada, MI - in hand testing
15. Stickshift - Chicago, IL - next in the que
16. jbreakfield - Daphne, AL
17. Rudy Vey - South Plainfield, NJ
18. WVShaver - Mason, WV
19. Lesser - Chappaqua, NY
20. Dave in KY - Williamsburg, KY

I apologize for the delayed review, it's been a busy week and I've unfortunately only gotten 3 shaves with the razor. Regardless it was enough time for me to get some meaningful shaves and get some feedback for the razor.

First looks, the razor is very well machined and feels great in hand. You can tell the maker takes pride finishing his products. There are some minor machine marks, and I assume this is the basic polished finish. The wooden box is nice, but I will say the hinges and latch feel on the cheaper side and seem like that could be a failure point in the future. I'm not sure I would spend the extra money on the box, as it's just for storage. But that is my opinion, as some people like to display their razors.

I was able to shave with the .7 plate, a mix of the 1.1 and 1.5 plates, and a full shave with the 1.1 plate. The razor feels very nice in hand, and I particularly love the handle. The looks and grip are right up my alley. The razor is a bit handle heavy, but I seemed to adjust to that fairly quick. The head is light and has tight tolerances, with the blade needing no adjustment.

The .7 plate was smooth but not efficient enough for my liking. It felt like a very safe plate, and could be used every day. I typically shave every other day, so I like a little more efficiency.

My next shave I used the 1.1 for half my face, and the 1.5 for the other half. It was used on 4 days of growth, and both plates made quick work of it. They definately have more blade feel and a large step up in efficiency compared to the .7. The 1.1 felt safer than the 1.5, which gave me the feeling that it could bite. Ended up with a close comfortable shave on both sides of my face with minimal alum burn. The shave on the 1.5 side lasted a few hours longer.

For my last shave I used the 1.1 plate on two days of growth. This shave was probably my favorite. It was a smooth efficient shave. I ended up with a little bit of alum burn on my jawline where I over shaved. The shave was close and lasted most of the day. If I were to purchase a plate, it would most likely be this one.

Thank you to GlazedBoker and Atelier DURDAN for making this passaround a reality, and giving us a chance to use this beautiful razor! The razor was shipped off this morning to the next participant.