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La Faulx by Atelier Durdan Pass Around…..

Chloe does a wonderful job
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garyg

B&B membership has its percs
Today is my final day with this beautiful razor, it will head west on the morrow ..

A couple thoughts occurred as I was cleaning it up prior to mailing, things I hadn’t reported earlier. This is a beautiful razor, the polishing is impressive even inside the head! And the extremely precise fit of the blades to the head was noticed each time I used the razor – probably the best I can remember with AC format razors that I’ve used.

My final shave was as good as before, no surprises and a resulting darn fine shave.

Thanks to GlazedBoker for organizing the pass around and to Atelier Durdan for supplying the test razor.

Tres bien!
 
I have the La Faulx, sent by Garyg in excellent condition. The clock is ticking! I have a week with this beautiful razor before it goes to MaineYooper. I'll post my first impressions shortly. Thank you GlazedBoker and Augustin for making this possible.

Can I ask: what is the specification of this razor? I know it's polished, and a "close comb." But what is the aggressiveness level And is this with or without a head cap?
 
I have the La Faulx, sent by Garyg in excellent condition. The clock is ticking! I have a week with this beautiful razor before it goes to MaineYooper. I'll post my first impressions shortly. Thank you GlazedBoker and Augustin for making this possible.

Can I ask: what is the specification of this razor? I know it's polished, and a "close comb." But what is the aggressiveness level And is this with or without a head cap?
If you wanted to order one, this is the classic. I asked Augustin via email as I was preparing to order.
As for the cap, I think yes as well. At least I hope so, else I spent some unnecessary cheddar.
 
Here are my initial impressions after two shaves.

Background (skip if you just want La Faulx details): I shave every weekday because of work. My whiskers are average density and toughness, no particular face issues or needs. I may not shave this weekend, which would mean a three-day growth on Monday to try the La Faulx on more growth. The passaround has Classic blade gap, which is the mildest of three available.

My favorite DE razors are the stainless, satin Charcoal Goods Lvl 2 and stainless, polished Blackbird, both used with Gillette Silver Blue blades. I got into SE because I wanted a thicker blade and to try something different. My one SE is the titanium Vector. The only blade used so far is Kai Captain Pink Mild. My Vector has the satin finish, which is easy to grip and looks more tool-like compared to my polished SS Blackbird. It's lightweight and incredibly maneuverable. My experience with the Kai Pink blades are that they're a bit harsh on my face. I've been wanting to try the Schick Proline in it, but was worried because of reports of fit issues. I tried putting the Proline that came with the La Faulx in my Vector to see if it would fit, and there was no problem. So at the end of my week, I'll try the same Proline I'm using with the La Faulx, which will have 4-5 shaves on it, in my Vector and compare them.

La Faulx physical impression: No one can beat the French when it comes to high-end, luxury style and finish. This is a razor that's approaching $400 USD, and it shows. The fit and polished finish are flawless, and the swooping lines are gorgeous. It's not too heavy in stainless, and is well-balanced in the hand and in use. I love the handle design, and had no problem gripping it. The head is on the large side, especially compared to the Vector. If I end up buying a La Faulx, I would order exactly the passaround razor, because I would not want to risk it being any different. This is a luxury item that I would look forward to using as my daily driver (I would not say this if the shaves did not live up to the look and feel).

La Faulx initial shaving impression: Two shaves so far, each the same. One day of growth. I used a new Schick Proline blade from the passaround package (I will also try a Feather Professional from the package; we get to use one of each blade). I used my best shaving soap, Barrister & Mann Omnibus base Le Grand Chypre. Three passes, N/S, across, and S/N.

On the one hand, it seems to have a narrow angle where the razor makes a pronounced cutting sound (as @garyg observed). But at the same time, the angle doesn't seem to matter much as far as performance. Both shaves were remarkably smooth and close. I had no fear of nicks or cuts (but see below about a mistake I made). I've never had a razor that was this smooth and perfect on one-day growth.

Compared to my Vector, the La Faulx did not give as much feedback about what was going on under the blade. The La Faulx is smooth and heavier; the Vector is more nimble and reveals more of what's happening on my face. I trusted the La Faulx and it delivered. It's like a luxury sports sedan that might not have the road feel of a Miata, but in a high speed turn feels like it's on a smooth rail. Ideally, I'd want to have both, depending on my mood. The one place the La Faulx was more difficult to use was under my nose, both on N/S and S/N. It takes some maneuvering to get the larger head right to the top of my upper lip, and I had to take some care not to cut my nose on the upward pass. On my second shave, I learned how to do it and all is good there. This is the one place the La Faulx took a bit more work.

I had an accident with the La Faulx on my first shave. I was so confident in its smoothness that I decided to clean up a tiny area that I had missed completely dry after I had toweled my face and before I put on Zingari Man after shave balm. My normal procedure after shaving is to loosen the handle a turn or two, run warm water through the razor, put it on my towel for a minute, then let it air dry on my stand (with the passaround I'm using a wooden test tube rack so I don't risk any scratches from my steel razor/brush stand). But on the La Faulx, even a small amount of loosening can cause the blade to come out of the pins. I tightened the handle again to shave the missed spot, but I didn't see this, one half of the blade was out of the razor and I got a 3/8" (7mm) cut on my lip. Completely my fault. In this hobby, it seems like I have to re-learn to respect the blades periodically.

More in a few days as I get to know the La Faulx better.

After first pass:
full
 
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Here are my initial impressions after two shaves.

Background (skip if you just want La Faulx details): I shave every weekday because of work. My whiskers are average density and toughness, no particular face issues or needs. I may not shave this weekend, which would mean a three-day growth on Monday to try the La Faulx on more growth. The passaround has Classic blade gap, which is the mildest of three available.

My favorite DE razors are the stainless, satin Charcoal Goods Lvl 2 and stainless, polished Blackbird, both used with Gillette Silver Blue blades. I got into SE because I wanted a thicker blade and to try something different. My one SE is the titanium Vector. The only blade used so far is Kai Captain Pink Mild. My Vector has the satin finish, which is easy to grip and looks more tool-like compared to my polished SS Blackbird. It's lightweight and incredibly maneuverable. My experience with the Kai Pink blades are that they're a bit harsh on my face. I've been wanting to try the Schick Proline in it, but was worried because of reports of fit issues. I tried putting the Proline that came with the La Faulx in my Vector to see if it would fit, and there was no problem. So at the end of my week, I'll try the same Proline I'm using with the La Faulx, which will have 4-5 shaves on it, in my Vector and compare them.

La Faulx physical impression: No one can beat the French when it comes to high-end, luxury style and finish. This is a razor that's approaching $400 USD, and it shows. The fit and polished finish are flawless, and the swooping lines are gorgeous. It's not too heavy in stainless, and is well-balanced in the hand and in use. I love the handle design, and had no problem gripping it. The head is on the large side, especially compared to the Vector. If I end up buying a La Faulx, I would order exactly the passaround razor, because I would not want to risk it being any different. This is a luxury item that I would look forward to using as my daily driver (I would not say this if the shaves did not live up to the look and feel).

La Faulx initial shaving impression: Two shaves so far, each the same. One day of growth. I used a new Schick Proline blade from the passaround package (I will also try a Feather Professional from the package; we get to use one of each blade). I used my best shaving soap, Barrister & Mann Omnibus base Le Grand Chypre. Three passes, N/S, across, and S/N.

On the one hand, it seems to have a narrow angle where the razor makes a pronounced cutting sound (as @garyg observed). But at the same time, the angle doesn't seem to matter much as far as performance. Both shaves were remarkably smooth and close. I had no fear of nicks or cuts (but see below about a mistake I made). I've never had a razor that was this smooth and perfect on one-day growth.

Compared to my Vector, the La Faulx did not give as much feedback about what was going on under the blade. The La Faulx is smooth and heavier; the Vector is more nimble and reveals more of what's happening on my face. I trusted the La Faulx and it delivered. It's like a luxury sports sedan that might not have the road feel of a Miata, but in a high speed turn feels like it's on a smooth rail. Ideally, I'd want to have both, depending on my mood. The one place the La Faulx was more difficult to use was under my nose, both on N/S and S/N. It takes some maneuvering to get the larger head right to the top of my upper lip, and I had to take some care not to cut my nose on the upward pass. On my second shave, I learned how to do it and all is good there. This is the one place the La Faulx took a bit more work.

I had an accident with the La Faulx on my first shave. I was so confident in its smoothness that I decided to clean up a tiny area that I had missed completely dry after I had toweled my face and before I put on Zingari Man after shave balm. My normal procedure after shaving is to loosen the handle a turn or two, run warm water through the razor, put it on my towel for a minute, then let it air dry on my stand (with the passaround I'm using a wooden test tube rack so I don't risk any scratches from my steel razor/brush stand). But on the La Faulx, even a small amount of loosening can cause the blade to come out of the pins. I tightened the handle again to shave the missed spot, but I didn't see this, one half of the blade was out of the razor and I got a 3/8" (7mm) cut on my lip. Completely my fault. In this hobby, it seems like I have to re-learn to respect the blades periodically.

More in a few days as I get to know the La Faulx better.

After first pass:
full
Gotta say, I like your brush! The APSCo SynBad is a favorite knot of mine!
 
La Faulx Pass Around List.
1. GlazedBoker - Completed
2. Rudy Vey - Completed
3. Rocket 1 - Completed
4. Elliot - Completed
5. Garyg - Completed
6. johnnylighton - In hand testing
7. MaineYooper - Removed per request
8.
9.
10.
 
Some updated reports of this beautiful La Faulx razor:

On Saturday, I shaved with a little over two days' growth to see how the La Faulx did with a heavier beard. I shaved half my face with a Schick Proline blade and half with a Feather Professional. They both gave a close, smooth, worry-free shave, and I had no trouble with the longer beard despite the Classic aggressiveness level (the least aggressive that Atelier Durdan offers for the La Faulx).

Interestingly, the Proline felt slightly smoother than the Feather (very smooth vs. smooth), but my face looked a tiny bit red and irritated on the Proline side. I have no explanation for that; it's possible that side of my face is always slightly redder after shaving and I've never noticed it before, or it was an anomaly.

No shave on Monday because there wasn't enough growth yet. Today, I shaved 1 1/2 days' growth using the Feather Professional blade. Again, a close, comfortable shave with no concerns about nicks or cuts, but not as silky-smooth as with the Proline blade.

I have one more shave with the La Faulx, then I will clean and sanitize it and pack it up for the next participant.
 
Looks like there is no one else interested in signing up for the pass around. I'm making a final call if anyone wants to get in and try a truly fantastic razor that shaves every bit as good as it looks. The craftsmanship is truly phenomenal and the performance just has to be experienced to truly understand how good of a razor this is.

I'll even consider newer members that don't happen to meet the full criteria for qualifying. Just pm me your interest and we'll go from there.

Gus
 
The pass around is now closed. I would like to take a quick moment and give a big thank you to Augustin @Atelier DURDAN for sponsoring this pass around. It truly was an exceptional experience in shave hardware that has brought a new product and conceptually has given new facts that has been seen here posted by the participants that a mild feeling shaver can still be an excellent shaver in being smooth, comfortable and yet maintain an efficient manner in reducing facial hair with the utmost of ease. Kudos and congratulations to Augustin in his skill at merging those two concepts into an actual working tool that delivers those shave parameters to near perfection.

A sincere thank you to the small group of participants that gave an incredible accounting of their shave experiences with the La Faulx SE razor. It proves that a large number is not necessarily needed to present a generalization concerning a products performance and make up. Well done to all who participated.

Lastly but, just as importantly, I would like to give credit where credit is due. I appreciate the Administrators here in the B&B for giving me the green light in hosting this pass around and the freedom to run it in an easy, understandable and straightforward format. I thank them immensely for the opportunity as I find these pass arounds informative and helpful to the shave community specifically on this forum. A special thank you to @Toothpick for relaying me the info and the go ahead to proceed.

It was a pleasure and again a big thank you to all involved.

Happy shaves....

All the best,
Gus
 
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