So it turns out I don't suck at stopping, I merely suck at buying strops.

That's interesting that it ended up being the strop, I would have done what you did and assumed it was my technique.

Im using an Illinois 206 and it seems to be doing fine, although I have nothing to compare to so what do I know!

Congrats on the new strop though

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnJ

Since about April I've been using a Illinois 127 strop bought off of amazon.

Now that I look at the old stop, I'm kind of mad that someone would sell this POS. It's hard as a rock no matter how much oil or cream I rub into the thing, the leather is uneven, and it has crinkles running top to bottom.

Now the problem may not be with the Illinois strop, it may be that it came from Amazon, and the supplier was a shoddy bastard that was comfortable sending out crap merchandise that sat in a warehouse in Haiti for a decade.

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Just wanted to add my 5 cents. Very often I meet different views on Illinois 127. Some people call it crap, some people happy using it for many years. Comparing this strop in different shops I noticed one thing, these shops offer different strops, it is evident. Just look at this photo, taken from one of the shops. In the upper part of the strop must be print of horse's head (in gold) and it is not there. Probably this strop is not original, may be that is the reason why it does not provide good performance?

Gentlemen:

I have the Illinois No. 127 strop and find it quite good. Sure, mine was a touch stiff at the beginning, but through the months it has received many tender hand rubs. Now it has good draw and I consider it worth the money.

I have two fabulous SRD strops and a Tony Miller, but by no means will I regard the my Illinois No. 127 as a low quality strop. Also, the Illinois comes with a touch of nostalgia: a reminder of the old time barbershop, where it was often used.