Thread: Straight Razor Design's (SRD) 3" Roo Strop

Originally Posted by Tack

Ohhhhhh.. you said "linen", sorry.. rats.. <wanders away mumbling>

rs,
Tack

Edit: Yes, the Ilinois 827 backup strop is cotton canvas, I have one myself. That's my preferred post-shave "cleanup" strop.

Doh, sorry, got a my mords wixed up....did you just order? If you did, email them and get them to change it...sure it would be no problem.

Heh, no worry.. no harm, no foul.


rs,
Tack

ps- I'm told that the 'roo, like Cordovan shell, is thin enough that cupping is not a problem.. it just pulls right out even if it does cup

I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger on this strop very soon. All I have now is the SRD paddle strop w/ rough leather. As that is my first and only strop, I'm confused as to which 2 material I should choose. Does on perform better than the others? What are the differences in the performance of the different materials? Thanks in advance for all your help and advice.

Originally Posted by guthriemt

I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger on this strop very soon. All I have now is the SRD paddle strop w/ rough leather. As that is my first and only strop, I'm confused as to which 2 material I should choose. Does on perform better than the others? What are the differences in the performance of the different materials? Thanks in advance for all your help and advice.

I like the Roo strop. I'm a fan of a heavier draw, especially with the majority of my blades being 7/8 or larger. I am satisfied with the strop, it's a nice strop no questions asked, and would easily suffice as the main strop. I opted for the add-on 100% Pressed Felt Backing, and that stuff is fantastic, it's essentially a pasted linen strop. I have an only 2" Dovo strop, with the linen backing, and I had pasted the linen with the Dovo White / Grey paste, it's a mild abrasive, aids in the stropping, and it appears very similar to this.

Can't go wrong with the Roo strop, it's very similar to my Illinois #827 strop, which is an awesome strop IMO. I still can't decide which I like more. It seems they're both equally good strops, with the Roo strop bein 3" and the #827 bein 2.5" and a little shorter. I'd be hard pressed to pick between the two.

Good thread and review by the original poster - thanks! I just happened to have take delivery of my own SRD 3" Roo today and hooked it into the "hardware" that previously held a 3" Premium II. The second strop behind the leather is always felt or linen which I'll continue to use.

First impression is that the Roo gives an almost zero draw feel and it almost feels like I'm stropping on a piece of thin plastic. That's not a taking a shot at the strop, it just feels that way after using leather for years. But no matter what it feels like, if it helps to keep a fine edge I'll love it!

Question for those of you that are current Roo aficionados - how does one condition and maintain Roo? The dryness up here means I have basically zero hand oils to rub on a strop so I normally apply a wee bit of Neatsfoot to my leather every month. Will that work on Roo or does it need something else (if anything at all)?

Originally Posted by AirColorado

Question for those of you that are current Roo aficionados - how does one condition and maintain Roo? The dryness up here means I have basically zero hand oils to rub on a strop so I normally apply a wee bit of Neatsfoot to my leather every month. Will that work on Roo or does it need something else (if anything at all)?

I'll be interested to hear what people say to that. Some time ago I resigned myself to simply using my palm and so far, so good. ??

Originally Posted by AirColorado

Question for those of you that are current Roo aficionados - how does one condition and maintain Roo? The dryness up here means I have basically zero hand oils to rub on a strop so I normally apply a wee bit of Neatsfoot to my leather every month. Will that work on Roo or does it need something else (if anything at all)?

Had mine for almost two years and haven't condition it with anything as of yet. Have a second one brand new that I use for travel and both perform equally IMO. The old one look abuse with scratches all over the strop, and some mild cuts at the bottom. Occasionally I would pass my palm up and down, more checking for debris than conditioning.

When I see it and compare to the new one, makes me want to do something about it (sanded and condition it), but why mess with what's working?

So to answer your question, I don't see them needing conditioning for a long time! Double O

Pretty dry here in Southern AZ and even with my dry hands (I have to put something on them before work and before bed to keep my finger tips from splitting) all I do is rub it with my palm. No issues so far!

Mine has some very nice draw, not as much as my Illinois #827, which is an awesome strop, but this Roo strop is an absolutely gorgeous strop, medium draw, can feel it hugging the blade, nice resistance, and it's doing a great job with the edges on my blades. The 100% pressed felt backing option I had put on is great, it's like my old linen side on my Dovo strop that I pasted with the Dovo White / Grey paste, a very mild, chalky abrasive that further refines the edge.

The hard linen side of the Illinois strop is impregnated with cerium oxide, the linen side of is quite hard, like a ridged glass, also does a nice job at refining the edge.

I use both strops, kind of try to alternate between the two....but the Roo strop is IMO clearly a perfectly fine strop for the price...I just rub it daily with my palm.