First thoughts on the new Atelier Durdan Vestige

Gargravarr

Gargravarr

Our resident snake charmer
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Jun 13, 2020
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lutruwita
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Without wishing to preempt @Errol's forthcoming review too much, I thought I might just publish my initial impressions for anyone who's curious about this razor. By way of background, I have been really enjoying the Sabre, and (to give credit where it's due) the Personna GEM Stainless is a blade that works very nicely on my skin. It's significantly thicker than DE blades and thus less prone to chatter, and has a lovely smooth, sharp edge. I had assumed the Sabre was as compact a head as is possible, essentially the same size as the blade. However...

The Vestige completely replaces the goalposts in an all-out drive to minimise weight: the head is just over half the size of the blade - the spine sticks out the back. I was a bit doubtful about this when I first saw it, but I changed my mind. I'm not in politics, so I can do that. :D The cap is waffeur-thin and supports the blade close to the edge. The SB is supported by a line of beautifully fine-cut holes reminding me of Louis Quatorze lace. No chance of any gunk accumulating under the blade. (y)

For some reason the whole thing looks much smaller (to me) IRL than I had imagined from the pictures. The weight checks in at (according to manufacturer's specs) just 69g for this SS version. Compare that to the Vector at 77g if you will. Some reviewers have mentioned that the Vestige handle can feel slippery, so with that in mind I ordered the sand-blasted finish, and I reckon that was a good call. It gives just enough texture to the surface to make the grip quite secure (and I'm not into bling).

On to the shave. This razor came with the ++ (Supérieure) plate, which was also a good call, I wouldn't have wanted less. Even this has only 0.1mm of blade exposure, but any concerns about efficiency were quickly allayed. I could easily have stopped with a DFS+ after the first pass, but obviously I did no such thing. I had worried a little about getting bites from the corners of the blade, which are exposed, but that turned out not to be a problem. Just a totally smooth, trouble-free, utterly efficient shave. Less blade feel than the Sabre, but more efficient at removing stubble.

Verdict: Innovative design, a total featherweight, a top-shelf product worth every penny.
 
@Gargravarr, excellent review and thanks for sharing.

I just can't see myself purchasing a razor that takes another type of blade (GEM, AC, etc.) at this point in my life. I'm 75 years old and I have in stock a four year supply of DE blades, a two year supply of Schick Injector blades and thirty-five SR's.

Besides that, my cardiologist has told me not to waste my money on extended warranties, should the need arise to purchase any major whitegoods. 😁
 
Phil Harmonica said:
@Gargravarr, excellent review and thanks for sharing.

I just can't see myself purchasing a razor that takes another type of blade (GEM, AC, etc.) at this point in my life. I'm 75 years old and I have in stock a four year supply of DE blades, a two year supply of Schick Injector blades and thirty-five SR's.

Besides that, my cardiologist has told me not to waste my money on extended warranties, should the need arise to purchase any major whitegoods. 😁
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I've taken to thinking in those terms as well, though I'm younger than you (60). I've got ~600 AC blades and just 400 GEM blades. The latter is an oversight that came about because I was using AC razors more, but that hasn't really been the case for a while, and definitely won't be from now on. I have a strong feeling this new little razor might leave the others sidelined for a lot of the time.

Which is probably just as well, given what I just paid for it... :rolleyes: Time to order some more blades...
 
Holiday said:
What a beauty @Gargravarr, its been the first razor to peak my interest for a while. Love the look of the head and lather channels.
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That's how I felt about it too. Interesting that although it's physically (even) smaller than the Vector, I don't think it'll fit the description of "shaving with a toothpick" that you found with the latter. That bobbly bit on the end of the handle is a particularly good thought; it fits the hand "like a fist in the eye" as I've read they say in Finland... :ROFLMAO:
 
Gargravarr said:
That's how I felt about it too. Interesting that although it's physically (even) smaller than the Vector, I don't think it'll fit the description of "shaving with a toothpick" that you found with the latter. That bobbly bit on the end of the handle is a particularly good thought; it fits the hand "like a fist in the eye" as I've read they say in Finland... :ROFLMAO:
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Vector with AC style blades are for your bare skinny head, GEM style razors are for your bare lovable face.
 
SpeedyPC said:
Vector with AC style blades are for your bare skinny head, GEM style razors are for your bare lovable face.
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I'm not sure that "skinny" or "lovable" could ever characterise my physiognomy, except in jest, but thanks. :ROFLMAO:

But if you think about it, a lot of the time any razor will form a tangent to my "lovable" face or dome, so I'm not using the full length of the blade all the time in either case. Any more than I did when I was using DE razors. I don't really notice much difference in the time it takes either way.
 
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Gargravarr said:
That's how I felt about it too. Interesting that although it's physically (even) smaller than the Vector, I don't think it'll fit the description of "shaving with a toothpick"
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I rather enjoyed the toothpick, its just on loan to my dome shaving boss at the moment
I wonder if I'll ever see a Vestige on BST for the right price :unsure:
 
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