Thread: Strop recommendation

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY

I have a 3" Premium I Leather strop with matched webbing that I got from the good people at Straight Razor Designs last year. With the Holidays fast approaching, and my family askign me what I want for Christmas, I am thinking about asking for another strop to complement the one I have now. I'm thinkinking something with more draw and a different back strap material. So...gentlemen (and ladies) start your engines....any suggestions?

Maybe some horse or kangaroo ?

Well, if I may offer my opinion on that matter, I would go for a Cordovan Shell strop.

A Kanayama 80000 or 90000 will actually give you three different strops.
One fine smooth one, a velvety suede thingy and some good old linen-ish fabric.

Then you have Neil Miller's Cordovan Shell strop.
He can customize pretty much whatever you want, but say a linen second strop on that as well.

I have a number of strops, and the two mentioned above are, imho, the very finest I have ever seen or tried.

If you would like to try a paddle strop I and quite a few members have the Modular Paddle Strop by Straight Razor Designs. It comes with a couple of felt pads, a rough leather pad, and a Premium Leather pad for starters. You can build a nice set from there. Lots of options.

The pads are magnetic so they are all interchangeable. Very good concept!

Good luck!

i definitely second the Lynn Abrams Modular paddle strop...it is awesome if you buy one cheap, small bottle of chromium oxide spray from him as well....then you have a modular strop that will preform many functions, spray the Chromium Oxide spray on one of the felt pads, and you have a ready-made way of refreshing your razor when it starts to tug and imho the spray is much better than a chromium oxide crayon...

you have the scrub leather for cleaning any debris off your blade...and of course the premium finish leather works great! you also get an extra plain felt pad which you could spray with any number of different micron diamond sprays, or CBN....the possibilities are limitless and it's only like between $10 and $20 for new modular pads whenever one wears out... much more affordable than buying a whole new hanging strop....also when starting out in the stropping world, it's much easier to learn on a hard, flat surface than it is on a hanging strop...imho of course

by the way had anybody tried the other Finnish leather modular pad that Lynn has available, i think it's the English Bridal....how if the feel of that leather? is it different than the Premium 1, and is it similar to a Latigo?

Originally Posted by Zorro

If you would like to try a paddle strop I and quite a few members have the Modular Paddle Strop by Straight Razor Designs. It comes with a couple of felt pads, a rough leather pad, and a Premium Leather pad for starters. You can build a nice set from there. Lots of options.

The pads are magnetic so they are all interchangeable. Very good concept!

Good luck!

That's what I'm getting myself for Christmas.

what is horse leather like
whats the feel of it
and all that
sounds like it would be quite nice

I have two vintage Russian Horse Shell strops. Both of them give a whisper smooth stropping experience and each has a vintage linen strop attached also and in good condition after scrubbing them. The shell sides has been treated with a proprietary oil that has rejuvenated the heck out of them. Interesting side note: One of them bears my last name on it. It was originally sold by a barber supply co in NYC way back when.

thats nice
and cool about your last name on it

To the OP. The roo and English bridle will probably be pretty slick once broken in. The latigo and buffalo are a heavier draw strop. If you read the srd descriptions it tells you what draw they have. I would go for the premium linen as the backing. I have the linen and the felt but much prefer the linen and believe it works much better. Hope you find what your after. Ed