Thread: what is a goot brand of strop?

Originally Posted by sdsquarepoint

Too funny!

Actually I do think that Dovo/Jemico strops are underrated but over priced. Most of us American's think larger is better. I have a small Dovo and It is just fine. I wouldn't hesitate steering anyone to them as they are well made and of good resources. They are much better than Iliinois strops. They don't even get the gold print straight and non- smudged.

I do reccomend Tony Miller's products first though. MikeB

The TM Artisan is the first modern creation of that wonderful endcap/ring handle center c-screw design... MikeB

I have been looking around at the strops. I am sure I am going to need many strops over my lifetime, and 70 bucks a pop seems expensive, considering if i want to try different pastes, etc. Isnt there anything in the 10 -20 $ range?

I haven't read all the other posts, but when you consider materials, workmanship and the fact that your going to use this strop every single day, (if you shave every day) I would go with Tony Miller. Believe me, once you get it, you'll be glad you did....I wouldn't paste up my primary strop either. You have other options, Heck, you can even use newspaper with Cro2 on it, or Balsa wood. I've heard of guys using leather belts as strops. Good quality doesn't come cheap, and cheap stuff isn't good.....Rich

Originally Posted by tryonix

I have been looking around at the strops. I am sure I am going to need many strops over my lifetime, and 70 bucks a pop seems expensive, considering if i want to try different pastes, etc. Isnt there anything in the 10 -20 $ range?

You probably want to start with a good leather/cloth strop as the basis for the strop arsenal. It's what you are going to use every day for your pre-shave routine and you aren't going to want to treat it with anything abrasive. A great addition to that would be a hanging felt strop that you could treat with diamond spray, Chromium Oxide, or one of the other workhorse paste/spray compounds. Then, when it becomes time to try a bunch of stuff to tweak out your edges you could go with a paddle or flatbed hone. The flatbed is my favorite because you can get a bunch of pads in various types of leathers or felt and have a lot of flexibility at your disposal for a pretty reasonable expense.

I guess my point is that I wouldn't cut corners on your primary strop unless you are forced to. It's going to last a long time and be an important part of your shave. That doesn't mean that you have to buy the most expensive strop available, but don't go cheap because you think that you will need a bunch of hanging strops right away.

Originally Posted by Bill S

I have a number of strops from 4 of the top makers (all are in production at the present time). My favorite is my SRD Premium. The workmanship is as good or better than any of the competitive strops. What sets it apart, for me, is the leather. This stuff is absolutely great. It's hard to describe the feel of it when you are stropping. It is silky smooth with just enough resistance/draw and still manages to make that great sound we all like. Leaves the razor with a nice, refined edge too. It's the best I have used, so that would be my recommendation to you.

To be fair, I have an Invisible Edge that is over the top in terms of fit, finish and detail, but I still think the SRD Premium performs better. It's about half the price, too.

Thanks Bill,

We really appreciate the support from you and all the folks who are enjoying these.

Don and Lynn