Thread: Illinois #827

Are you just starting out shaving with a straight razor? If so, $30-$35 range for a first strop would be money well spent for practice in either mastering the critically necessary stropping procedure or in slicing your first strop into fajita strips. Strops are so easily nicked or sliced when starting out. It would be a irritation to nick a $35 strop; but it would be more of a bummer to nick up a $75+ strop.

Just my 2 cents.

Chris L

An Illinois 805 I bought for my very first strop in 1981-82 still is going strong... Granted I have many nicer strops now and the old 805 hardly ever gets used, but it is still around... The 827 is a better strop than the 805 BTW...

+1 what chris said been there done that

I'm just starting out and use a vintage horsehide + linen strop (cant remember the name right now...). I like going slowly and thus far didn't slice or nick it. I also have another cheap ebay strop i bought to +/- learn on but never really use.

I'm mainly looking for a good all around strop that will last me a lifetime and is a good bang for the buck... I'd really like a Tony Miller or Ken Rup but with all the options added (mainly wide + rings/handles + linen) and shipping to Canada, the price come up to more than I can cough up right now.

I misunderstood then, if you are after a premium strop then save up and get either the TM or an SRD premium...

I thought you were looking for your first strop...

I guess there's no going around that... I won't cheap out for 40$! Tony Miller it will be...

What you might consider is if you're looking for an upgrade in leather, Kenrup's Filly is only $20... Would that tide you over til you can afford a "custom"? Or is it simply that you're at the same stage as me that "I have a useable, good strop, but I want a beautiful, excellent strop"?

Well, it's mainly a practicality thing. I have a really nice vintage 30yo ++ horsehide strop that was given to me by a very good friend (has been a barber all his life) of the family. It's cupped slightly in some places, there are a couple of cuts into it... and it's lacking handles. I don't want to modify it since it has sentimental value. Now I'm 100% into the straight shaving thing and I want something that will last me a lifetime - so I don't want to invest into the "beginner" stuff.

The Filly strop is definitely a good deal... but less of a good deal if you throw in the fact that I'm in Canada and there is a 14$USD overcharge on shipping - which seems to be the norm everywhere.

I don't really get the MASSIVE overcharge thing that most stores make on shipping a strop from US to Canada... I can understand for transoceanic sales...but I was even quoted 25$USD to ship to Canada. I think owners could benefit from making "actual cost" shipping quotes to Canada.

At this point I just bit the bullet and ordered a Tony Miller 3" Artisan w/ practice strop... and very happy I did. Class act he is.

hope ya got the practice strop- tacking it on to shipping should be cheap enough, and while you may not need it, I'm glad I didn't start with a "custom" strop. I've only put one nick in mine, but one nick is more than I want lol.

i have an illinois 206 and i dont necessarily like the draw. paid around $50 for it and it seems awful rigid. not very pliable. i went to a knife shop that sells kitchen knives and pocket knives. they have handless strops almost 3 inches wide and 20 something inches long for $10. maybe they have something like that in canada. i realize you already bought what you want but maybe for applying paste. its a cheaper out and to be truthful my $10 strop get more use than my dovo or illinois strop. i like the draw a lot more.