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

Today was a comparison shave:  the 0.7 base on the No. 7 with the Haircut & Shave N074, which is my single favorite razor -- my touchstone.   I figured this was a good comparison since my prior use of the 0.7 on the No. 7 made it seem similar to the N074.

Well, perhaps it was because of my greater familiarity with the H&S butusing it proved to have the more comfortable and successful passes.  I found it got further down, didn't need a repeat buffing, and was altogether more comfortable.  I was a bit surprised because my earlier shaves with the No. 7 had impressed me, as I've previously described.  

Tomorrow, I'll finish off my time with the No. 7 by trying the 1.1 again, hoping it works as a more efficient razor.  I found that as a daily driver it was too much for me.  I might compare it to my Paradigm Diamondback Ti as a comparator.  

Looks like an N075 pictured? A favorite of mine as well

Today was a comparison shave:  the 0.7 base on the No. 7 with the Haircut & Shave N075, which is my single favorite razor -- my touchstone.   I figured this was a good comparison since my prior use of the 0.7 on the No. 7 made it seem similar to the N075.

Well, perhaps it was because of my greater familiarity with the H&S butusing it proved to have the more comfortable and successful passes.  I found it got further down, didn't need a repeat buffing, and was altogether more comfortable.  I was a bit surprised because my earlier shaves with the No. 7 had impressed me, as I've previously described.  

Tomorrow, I'll finish off my time with the No. 7 by trying the 1.1 again, hoping it works as a more efficient razor.  I found that as a daily driver it was too much for me.  I might compare it to my Paradigm Diamondback Ti as a comparator.  

Looks like an N075 pictured? A favorite of mine as well

What 74? lol.  Yes, of course, N075. (So far as I know, Aji hasn’t done a N074.). My bad.  Can’t even get my favorite razor right in a post….

Last use of the No. 7. Today, I went with the 1.1. The shave was BBS and the passes were smooth and comfortable.  Though, as with the last time I used the 1.1, I did have two small (quite small) nicks and a touch of irritation on my neck. I learned that on the sensitive spots, I need to ride the cap to get it to work best, but I also think I’m trying a bit too hard to get a perfect shave – which, I should know by now, is not really ever a great idea.  I suspect that if I were less greedy, the 1.1 would work as an excellent plate to obtain BBS shaves.  As is, though, I wouldn’t want to use the 1.1 a second day in a row, and it’s now time to pass the box and razor onto Dave in KY .

So, all in all, I did put this razor and the plates through a full week of testing.  My final thoughts are that this is a fine and versatile piece of kit: the workmanship is excellent, as is the design.  The weighting of the razor clicked, the handle was just right for my use, and I really liked the conical handle end and how it fit into the base. The finishing is nearly at the very top. Not up there with the finest finishing jobs I've seen from others but close – although, for the price of this razor when fully fitted out, it really had better be.  To be very fine-tuned in my analysis, the shaves were, for me, much of “almost there”.  This is demanding level of critiquing but, again, the price for this razor is a premium one and one can be that critical for this kind of shaving investment.  Perhaps I was lucky for my first shave or two, but every other shave came close to what I would have wanted, yet they were always a tad short. The 0.3 base was too mild for me, the 0.7 was not quite as close as I would have hoped, the 1.1 was nearly quite right as a BBS shaver but I didn’t quite get a perfect shave despite trying (and I did get irritated, which is, for me, really really rare), and the 1.5 was surprisingly smooth but just too much.  Maybe what I really would have wanted would have been the in-between gaps:  0.5 and 0.9.  Maybe.  In any event, while it's not for me after due consideration, I’d suspect for a lot of folks this razor would be a joy and to get it with an extra plate or two would extend its range and versatility.

I so appreciate this community and those in it who take the time to arrange and oversee pass-arounds like this, and I so much even more appreciate those craftsman and artisans who so willingly share their products.  So, a major shout out to GlazedBoker and even bigger one to Atelier DURDAN.  Thanks so much.

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 - Completed
15. Stickshift - Chicago, IL - Completed
16. jbreakfield - Daphne, AL - Completed
17. Rudy Vey - South Plainfield, NJ - Completed
18. Lesser - Chappaqua, NY - Completed & shipped
19. Dave in KY - Williamsburg, KY - in route to
20. Shave Souffle - Sarasota, FL - in the que