Worries about strops

My original post had been deleted due to some "conflict of interest issue", so without mentioning of any vendor names I will repost this question.

I have been shaving with a replacable blade SR and I like it and want to move on to a regular straight. I am currently looking to purchase a "starter set" (razor and strop).

My first choice runs about $120, but i am worried about ruining the strop right away. I have a second option that costs $60, but the razor has mixed reviews.

What are your opinion? which option should i go with and should i worry about ruining my strop as much as i am?

It would be better for you to list links to the 2 different sets, and just not mention prices in your post. No on e will be able to tell you a thing not knowing anything but the prices of the 2.

Ruprazor has an excellent starter set from what I hear for a good price.

I say edit your original post and put links to the choices, and just remove the prices. I'm assuming that's why your original post was removed (because you listed prices.) We don't really discuss numbers in the posts here :)

One strop from vendor A is a latigo, the one from vendor B is filly.

Hopefully this post does not get deleted since an actual vendor was named.

Honestly go with the 120 set it will be better in the long run. Also those strops have replaceable leather so if you nick it you can replace it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by atwoll

One strop from vendor A is a latigo, the one from vendor B is filly.

Hopefully this post does not get deleted since an actual vendor was named.

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There shouldn't be a problem naming a vendor, just don't talk prices for the most part though.. Just say a price range you're looking for, and then we can ballpark within that... Don't compare the prices of different vendors, that's where problems usually arise... Sometimes the beaurocracy is a pain, but it is vastly more helpful than detrimental :p

As for strops and razors, I am a diehard fan of SRD (Can't help it, they've been fantastic customer servicers, and the products are TOP NOTCH) so you can go for one of their Straight and Strop kits... I would recommend Red Latigo to start with, however, the Bridle leather strop is FANTASTIC. They are a little pricey for starting on, but the great part is that they are built "modularly" which, in layman's terms, means if you nick a component, you don't need a new strop... It's 20$ to get a replacement latigo, and 30 to get a replacement bridle.. So it's a fair price to get the whole thing, but a nick isn't world ending, it just means buying a new "component" which is a great mitigating factor...

Plus, when you buy from SRD, you get a blade that is GUARENTEED to be shave ready. No ifs, ands, or buts. It comes ready to mow 'em down.

So, if you want a good entry level, I'd suggest latigo.. But if you want to raise the price a little and get a truly awesome strop, the Bridle will serve fantastically.

Also, this is all just my experience, so, take it as you will.... But strops are my passion, and I still love the Bridle strop more than any other.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Jeremy

EDIT: If you want more in-depth info... Links and suggestions, just shoot me a PM, I love to help :)

Also i think your post was originally deleted because we can no longer talk about that mixed review razor. It will get moved to a different thread that talks only about said razor

Whichever of the two strops you get give the 1961 barber manual excerpt seen here in the SRP Wiki help files a once over. The last couple of pages gives some good tips on stropping. I especially like the suggestion to practice flipping the razor on the strop before you do the stroke. Once the flipping is mastered you're less likely to miscue and nick your strop.

+1 to the barber's manual. That, and the rest of the wiki, are just invaluable

Have you looked through the classifieds? Maybe you are looking for something new, but there are serious deals to be had in the classifieds.

I have a pretty clear idea of your choices as I too was recently in the same boat as you. I went the less expensive route, as in the end budget was the most important decision factor at the time.

I believe in the cheap strop to start out philosophy. That part of the decision proved validated as I knicked mine right off the bat first time, as Jimmy says due to inexperience in the flip stage of stropping.

My recommendation now is a hybrid if you can afford it. Buy the cheaper strop from the one, and the best razor you can afford at the other. I would avoid being swayed by fancy scales and what not at first, leave that as a present to yourself down the road. Just get the list of recommended makers from the wiki and buy the best razor you can afford. The reason I recommend this is because when you do that you can be reasonably sure that any bad shaves are a result of your technique, not the razor. That being said, the cheaper razor I got does a fine job and I have no real complaints. I know I will be upgrading in the near future though.

If you do go for the more expensive strop to start, at least follow the recommendation of practicing stropping with a butter knife first to build up your muscle memory, you really don't want to knick your strop. These things are made to last, unlike everything else in our societythese days, and as such the better you look after them the more enjoyable they'll be throughout your days.

I bought the pre-sharpened 6/8 Dovo tortoise special from SRD, the Filly strop from RupRazor, and some additional chromium oxide from ChrisL in the classifieds here.

I had the strop before I got the razor, so I practiced with a butter knife. Good thing. Although the razor from SRD is pre-honed and tested, a note in the package recommends stropping before first use. Because of the practice, that went pretty well (and the Filly is still nick free, but that could change).

It was good to know that the "pulling" on the first shave was due to my technique (blade angle) since the razor itself had been professionally honed. Another clue that it was me was that the pulling wasn't consistent--only on some strokes and not on others.

It's good to have a narrow, two-inch wide strop to force me to learn/use the X-pattern, but when I get the final nice strop, I want it to be three-inch. If Tony Miller was in production now, I might have got a three-inch with additional practice strop (not taking anything away from SRD strops, I just like Tony's).

With the chromium oxide on the back/rough side of the Rup Razor, and the free honing certificate from SRD, it should be a long time before I need a barber's hone, etc. For know, I can just concentrate on shaving technique.

Hope this helps,

Thank you all for your input. Today I decided to go with the 2" latigo and dovo best quality combo. I hope my choice serves me well.

Sounds like a good choice, just take it slow and easy with the stropping, learn to walk etc. If you haven't already, do take a look at the Barber Manual linked by Jimmy above. Good luck.

Good call going with the SRD strop... Although, I would highly recommend giving them a call and upgrading to the 3'' version... It's just so much more user friendly, and gives equally good results... This is just my opinion, mind you, but I vastly prefer the three inch, I think it's WELL worth the price change...

YMMV, though.

Good luck.

Cheers,
Jeremy