Thread: I need guidance for my first strop purchase!

Greetings SRP!

I just started straight shaving since Dec 30th. My girlfriend bought me a kit for my birthday from the Art of Shaving. I've been extremely excited to gain proficiency at the art of straight shaving. My current blade says Soligen, Germany. This is a good brand from what I've read. Although I don't know the dimension of it, 3/4th in or what not.

I have 3-4 attempts under my belt thus far. But I have realized that I have no strop and from what I've gathered, most shavers strop before or after a shave (or both) and I have yet to strop, since I don't have one. I've been poking around on the forums for the past few days and reading the wiki. I'm not sure if my blade came "Shave ready" as they say. I decided to try the Hanging hair test and my blade didn't cut (I saw what its suppose to look like on youtube). Today I tried stropping on the soft side of an old leather belt my brother gave me.

So I was hoping to turn to the community for Strop recommendations as a beginner. I've already seen a video by a SRP member with a red shirt on how to strop (lead with the spine, flip your blade up and away from the strop instead of into it). I've read that I should buy an inexpensive or practice strop since I've read that I'm likely to cut/nick it during my learning process before committing to a more expensive strop. Anyhow, I'm looking for a recommendation or a website where I can get one. I've been reading Tony Miller starter strops are good but I'm not able to find a website where to purchase one . I was also considering buying one from the classified section as well. Anyhow, any tips/insights would be GREATLY appreciated.

Snowdorf,

I'm amazed tat you've gotten this far with no strop.

Not to worry though. There are a number of choices for your first strop. Check any of the vendors who advertise here. They all offer strops that are of very good quality. I would recommend a 3" wide strop for you. They are easier to strop a razor with.

PM me. There is one low cost alternative for your stropping needs that may be right up your alley.

One other thing. You may want to send your razor out to be honed. I'm not sure that the Art of Shaving sells straight razors that are truly shave ready.

Take care.

star shaving, whipped dog, Straight razor designs

Paddle strops are easier to start with and offer replaceable pads of different materials.

My vote is for the whipped dog strop, it's CHEAP, works well, it's CHEAP and when you cut it learning to strop you won't be upset (Did I mention it's cheap LOL)

As for the razor, I can confirm AOS razors are NOT shave ready, go into the classifieds sections and there are several vendors offering honing services, have it professionally honed and then you are off to the races

I love my Illinois #827 Russian Leather Razor Strop!! It does take some breaking in, but it is classic, has the linen as well and built like a tank! I have had this from day one and only one small nick. Year and a half and still going.

Straight Razor Designs and Vintage Blades have great strops.

I am satisfied with my DOVO strop. Leather on one side and canvas on the other. For me DOVO represents quality. You can't go wrong with them.

And if you buy one do not forget the paste.

You will need a strop , you should strop the razor before every shave . If you want a Tony Miller , his website is thewellshavedgentleman.com . If you don't know if your razor was honed , you can assume that it's not . Forget about hanging hair tests , get your razor honed by a pro . You can find someone in the classifieds section of this forum to hone your razor . Whatever you do , don't go to a knife place to get your razor honed . Honing a razor is a specialized skill , and most if not all knife sharpening shops know nothing about honing a razor . The best person to hone your razor is someone who shaves with a straight razor . You say your razor is a "Solingen" . Solingen is a city in Germany that is a major producer of cutlery , not a brand of razor . Can you post a pic of your razor ?

Originally Posted by strtman

I am satisfied with my DOVO strop. Leather on one side and canvas on the other. For me DOVO represents quality. You can't go wrong with them.

And if you buy one do not forget the paste.

Actually you don't want to use paste on your daily use strop , and I would advise against using abrasive paste on any hanging strop . Some guys do use abrasive paste on hanging strops , but they are experienced straight razor users , and they know what they're doing . IMHO a pasted hanging strop in the hands of a noob , would kill the edge on a razor , pretty quick . A pasted paddle strop is what you want , and you don't need to use it until your edge needs to be refreshed .