Input on picking a strop....

All right guys, I've been wanting to bring somebody else over to the dark side. My younger brother turned 29 saturday and I'm going to give him the starter razor and strop that I started with. My uncle has agreed to buy him a starting out brush.

but this raises a problem, I need a new strop for myself. I thought this is a good chance for me to upgrade to a nicer strop. this one had no handle at the bottom and just a lanyard at the top.

I hear the tony miller ones talked up here. I went to the sight, which is run kinda weird for a store but I guess opens on tuesday night for orders. I'm not sure what'll be available as it looks like it is an order it when they have it setup. ACtually nice from the instant gratification standpoint, knowing you won't have to wait for it to be made.

back to point. horsehide, latigo, cotton/canvas. 2.5" or 3". so many choices. Just wondering what you all have found to be useful, what you recommend? other sources for a good strop that might be less pricey for me? (I went to the one local place that I knew might have a strop, they had one that was linen backed no wider than my belt and about a foot long for 50+!!!)

I so far do not do the x-pattern even though my strop is probably only 2.5 inches. I just alternated the blade position in my strokes. I guess I haven't gotten comfortable with the X. thus far I seem to not have trouble. the rough side of this one has green paste applied to it and I have used it once, last week when I was getting worried I needed to send my daily shaver out for honing and faced with a wait. it seemed to bring the edge back nicely and the blade can still pop hairs. do I need a strop thus treated or does the linen/canvas accomplish the same?

Thanks all.

Red

Red,
Good questions and I'm sure the guys here will lead you down the right path on how to choose. Most is really personal preference but as a beginner it is hard to already have the preference!.

The "weird" hours <g>. I know, they are not the norm, but let me explain:

I'm not a store, hence the hit or miss situation. I make strops as time allows, after a full time career in the aerospace industry and after my family obligations. Everything is made by hand, by me, with just a few trim details handled by a few craftsman friends of mine ( wooden blanks and limited assembly of finished components). At this pace I can sell far faster than I can make stuff so I close a few days a week to make new stock and ship orders that come in on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sundays, I conduct no business. Weird yes, I agree. If this was my full time job I'd be running it as I do my day job, but as a sideline, family, faith and home comes first.

Thanks for considering my products.

Tony

No worries, like I said I like it from the standpoint that you know that what you order you're going to be able to get pretty timely. I guess I'm a product of our instant gratification society and waiting comes hard.

You're right, I have no idea what I prefer only having ever used the one strop. the only things I know I would based on what I don't have on this one are a swivel at the tope and a handle of some sort at the bottom.

price at ths point is also a consideration for me. for one the finances are tight right now and I've tried to back my spending down to bare minimum in hopes that a member here will sell me a razor of his I really like at a later date. :) that's the problemw ith everybody posting pics of their toys, makes you realize how many cool things you DON'T have yet!

I just want to make sure I get something good for whatever I pay. that one I saw saturday for 50 bucks definitely didn't look the part.

Thanks for the information.

Red

Red,
My advice based on my own products is that for most needs the Red Latigo is the best bang for the buck. It has the most draw and is very resistant to cupping or bowing. The horsehide, while more expensive, is not inherently better, just different. the material costs more, has less yield per hide and is harder to work, hence the premium price. It has less draw but is just as effective. I think beginners do better with more draw, or feedback, when learning to strop. I prefer narrow strops but 90% buy the 3" over the 2 1/2" models. With a 3" no X-pattern is needed.
If just starting the Apprentice has the good leather but simple, budget hardware, keeping cost down. These will not be back again for several weeks though.

For alternatives Damon makes an economical strop, similar in construction and may be in stock now and similar in price. Many here are very happy with this choice too.

You mentioned budget is an issue so maybe one of these alternatives would work:

For a maker like Illinois I would pick the #127 if I had to have a handle, or my preference the #361, a nicer but handle-less strop in the traditional style. Either of these would be less money than mine and should work just fine. I originally sold Illinois strops but the quality varied piece to piece. the good ones were very nice and if you get any with a less than ideal surface it should go back in exchange for a smooth one. (this applies to mine or anyones strop)

Dovo has a variety of models with their larger ones priced similar to mine but the less expensive ones are quite a bit smaller. All will do the job as well.

Hope this helps till other chime in.
Tony

You could never go wrong with Tony's strops. He is an Artisan.

Chris L

I have the 3" Red Latigo with real linen option, and honestly couldn't be happier - the red latigo, as Tony already mentioned, is a great choice for most out there since it has a nice high draw, and is fairly resistance to cupping. At the 3" width, no x-pattern is needed, but most do it anyhow.

I'd not hesitate to recommend the red latigo at all - the linen or all-leather handles are just nice-to-have extras in my opinion.

I'd listen to Tony, he really knows of what he speaks.

Mark

Buy a Tony Miller Latigo strop. You WILL be pleased. You WILL ask yourself WHY?, WHY didn't I do this before. The quality is top notch and the price can't be beat.

As soon as you strop a razor on a Latigo strop-you'll immediately know that all the talk isn't hype.

Just to put in another option, I bought one of Tony's 2 3/4 Horse & Latigo strops. I collect old strops so I have a half dozen with linen and figured that I didn't need one on Tony's strop. This worked fine and I found that of all of the vintage strops I have I always seemed to end up using Tony's.

Then I went to a friends house and he has one of Tony's horse & linen. I did some stropping on it and liked it so much that I decided I wanted to add Tony's linen to my horse/latigo. Tony was kind enough to make the linen for me and now I have a linen/horse/latigo.

This may sound cumbersome but it is not. With the linen on the outside it flips out of the way when I go to the latigo. I do 50 on the linen and then 25 each first on the latigo and then finish on the horse. This is now the perfect strop for all of my needs and I highly recommend it.

Oh jees... why didn't you post this last week? Now I'm going to have to do an add-on for the linen? :gaah:. How long does linen last relative to the hides? I guess maybe having the linen separate would make it easily replaceable.

Another plug for Tony's RL. I've had mine for about 2 years and I'm very pleased.

Jordan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

Then I went to a friends house and he has one of Tony's horse & linen. I did some stropping on it and liked it so much that I decided I wanted to add Tony's linen to my horse/latigo. Tony was kind enough to make the linen for me and now I have a linen/horse/latigo.

This may sound cumbersome but it is not. With the linen on the outside it flips out of the way when I go to the latigo. I do 50 on the linen and then 25 each first on the latigo and then finish on the horse. This is now the perfect strop for all of my needs and I highly recommend it.

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Jimmy,
I am glad this worked for you. I am always hesitant to offer a three part strop as I feel the third component will be in the way in use or flop back at the wrong moment causing a disaster. I suppose if the softer genuine linen is an outer component it may work by flopping it over but would not want to see the leather folded back in use.

I still feel a separate cloth component with it's own top and bottom hardware clipped onto thye same hook is more usable and safer though. Now...if the mill would ever run my linen again all will be well. I did get in 2 1/2" linen and will be running 2 1/2" horsehide/linen strops as the next product after this weeks run.

Thanks,
Tony

Tony would you let me know what time the store opens tonight? I'm taking my brother to sushi and giving him the straight and strop, but that means for a few days I'll be back to the gilette until I get another strop here.

I'm curious, have you tried some of the various hemp cloths versus linen? I have some samples here I got way back when and some of them seemed teh right texture/weight compared to the linen strop I have handled.

You guys aren't doing the linen/leather every morning are you? I thought the linen was for in between honing, not daily. I noticed right now Tony you show on there only the cotton not the linen, what is the different in its affect on the blade?

Thanks very much, everyone.

Red

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tony Miller

Jimmy,
I am glad this worked for you. I am always hesitant to offer a three part strop as I feel the third component will be in the way in use or flop back at the wrong moment causing a disaster. I suppose if the softer genuine linen is an outer component it may work by flopping it over but would not want to see the leather folded back in use.

I still feel a separate cloth component with it's own top and bottom hardware clipped onto thye same hook is more usable and safer though. Now...if the mill would ever run my linen again all will be well. I did get in 2 1/2" linen and will be running 2 1/2" horsehide/linen strops as the next product after this weeks run.

Thanks,
Tony

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Tony, here are some pix of the strop in use. I am not sure if they are good enough to convey the ease of use but here they are. :)
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...mytat2/TM1.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...mytat2/tm2.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...mytat2/tm3.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...mytat2/tm4.jpg

Wow Jimmy, you've got to pick a razor to use and then pick a strop out of all that, I'm not sure if I envy you your dilemma or not :D

Red

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Big Red

Wow Jimmy, you've got to pick a razor to use and then pick a strop out of all that, I'm not sure if I envy you your dilemma or not :D

Red

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Well it used to be a dilemma until I got Tony's. Now the others rarely get any use. Tony's is da bomb :rock:

+1 on TM's strops the quality is first class...

The only other strops I ever recommend are the Illinois #835 and #827
the #835 I bought in 1981 is still in use and the #827 has a great feel to it...

If you plan on 1 strop get the best TM you can afford....you won't go wrong....

what is the difference between the smooth cotton and the linen and their affect on the razor? I think I'll go with the latigo 3" with cotton if he has any when he opens tonight.

Red

AHHHHH!!! I bought it, I went ahead and got the latigo, 3". There is no linen available right now, I hadn't got a reply on what the difference was in what it would do to the razor but figured worst case later I can get a linen one instead. I also got a practice strop, thinking that if I find anybody else to corrupt I can give it to them as a starter strop, is it good enough for that or is it only to get the technique down?

I'm excited! we do have a gentleman's understanding on here that nobody tells wives about purchases right? Maybe I shoudl have had it sent to my office? :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Big Red

I'm excited! we do have a gentleman's understanding on here that nobody tells wives about purchases right? Maybe I shoudl have had it sent to my office? :)

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When mine arrived it had one of those little music buttons on it playing the Star Wars theme... your wife will notice :eek:

gotta say go with tonys strops, they are the nicest most well made out there, plus they are really made in the usa, very reasonably priced too, you dont have to buy the top of the line product from tony to get a well made strop, his starters are as well made as his top end strops, same care goes into everyone he makes, i got a starter from him and i have several others but my tm is the one i use anymore just does a better job for me.
another satisfied customer