General Question.

Hello all,

Being very new to str8 shaving and wanting to be equipped with the basics as quickly as possible, I purchase a razor, had it honed and next needed a strop. Being the impatient sort, I went to a local leather shop and bought a 48"X2.5" piece of good quality tanned cowhide. Folded it in half, ran a shoestring piece of leather through the end and secured that to a door knob. When the door is shut and the leather is pulled tight, it seems to be sufficient for stropping. Will this be adequate untill I can buy a proper strop?

Also, has any one used the "filly" beginners strop from Ruprazor?

Thank you for any suggestions.

You can strop on yer jeans, yer hand, yer newspaper, yer old leather belt, balsa sheets, so yes the tanned cowhide will work.... Watch for ripples and uneven spots in the leather...

There will be varying degrees of effectiveness but yes they all will "WORK"

I have heard good things about the Rup Filly strop, and have had first hand experience with the Illinois #827 both in the under $40 category

I purchased Ken's Paladin Strop to use as a Finisher. It's great. He does quality work, I highly recommend his products. He also stands behind his stuff. No worries....

another +1 on Ruprazor/Kenrup- I have a Paladin on the way so I can't speak for a full strop but I have strops from him that are 8ish by 2ish that I laid on a hone (I was deciding between latigo and horse so I needed to compare) and I can say that both leathers are awesome. Plus he is an awesome dude who will answer any and all questions. TM is a good merchant from what I have seen in the forums too but I have no first hand experiences with him. He too offers a beginner strop but I believe you have to buy a "real" strop and get the beginner strop as an add on or something.

Also to agree with glen- as a penny pinching college student I have used muh Levi's, thah newz, a belt, a seatbelt from a airplane (sorry guys story is too long) they all work but none so good as a legit strop. I have the Illinois 127 in Horse (I believe its now made in cow, but jes' sayin' their horse stuff is legit) so I'd still recommend saving for something legit, even if it is only TM's practice strop, Kenrup's Philly, or one of the recommended Illinois's.