Thread: Trying to buy another strop

Usually the people, talking about strops or straight razors, can say only what they like, but almost nothing about "why" they like that strop or straight razor. I don't need to know if a Neil Miller strop is better than a Kanayama, I need just to know if that one is right for my shaving and honing. Usually we can recognize the character of a razor: generally a Sheffield blade is sweeter than a Solingen one, but this doesn't mean that a Solingen blade will kill your cheeks. We know the usual hardness of modern and old french blade, but we don't know so much about the differences between different strops. I know that Miller and Kanayama are at the top of the quality, but can you explain me this quality, and how this quality affect your razors? I found a partial answer to my question reading this and other forums, I'm trying to understand how a strop is working through the experience of the other users.

How would we know what strop is best for your shaving?
Even though I love my Sheffields more, my best shave came from German steel.
I'm sorry the thread has not produced the results you wanted.

But you know my razors!
Anyway this thread was very useful because I'm interested on a Scrupleworks strop, the price is reasonable, hoping for good quality. Kanayama and N. Miller strops are not my choice because the customs fees and the lack of availability of the desired cordovan size respectively. Thank you for your support.

Originally Posted by Rampa

But you know my razors!
Anyway this thread was very useful because I'm interested on a Scrupleworks strop, the price is reasonable, hoping for good quality. Kanayama and N. Miller strops are not my choice because the customs fees and the lack of availability of the desired cordovan size respectively. Thank you for your support.

I can understand the concern with customs fees fully. I was under the impression that import customs fees were the same for EU made products no matter the which EU country they came from.

Also be aware that by contacting Neil Miller he can make a Cordovan strop to your specifications within reason of course. I wanted a 3 inch/about 8cm wide Cordovan leather strop but wanted a longish one. Neil was able to supply me with one that had 23.5 inch/about 60cm of useful stropping surface. You might not be stuck getting a stock item.

Anyway, from what I have read the Scruppleworks strop is also a fine strop.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Also be aware that by contacting Neil Miller he can make a Cordovan strop to your specifications within reason of course. I wanted a 3 inch/about 8cm wide Cordovan leather strop but wanted a longish one. Neil was able to supply me with one that had 23.5 inch/about 60cm of useful stropping surface.

+1

Neil was very accommodating in providing me a similar monstrously large strop.

Originally Posted by Rampa

But you know my razors!
Anyway this thread was very useful because I'm interested on a Scrupleworks strop, the price is reasonable, hoping for good quality. Kanayama and N. Miller strops are not my choice because the customs fees and the lack of availability of the desired cordovan size respectively. Thank you for your support.

Lack of availability of lengths is not because of the makers, but due to limitations on the sizes of hides. I'm not a leather expert like Neil, but I believe that this is especially true of shell cordovan. If materials are available, Neil is great to work with, and will make anything your mind can envision. And, in my experience, it will exceed your expectations!

Originally Posted by entropy1049

+1

Neil was very accommodating in providing me a similar monstrously large strop.

Yea, you gotta make full use of those long arms. Ya can't do that on a short runway.

Bob

Entropy, I'm jealous of your strop set, in the future I'll buy a Kanayama and N. Miller, in the meantime I hope well with my new Torolf strop.

Somehow I have come to own three Scrupleworks strops and a Tony Miller. I positively love the four of these strops. One is a 2 inch Scrupleworks travel strop. I’ve mated it to a piece of 2 inch linen I got from Neil Miller. I can roll that thing up, stuff it in a bag and fly away knowing that my razors will be well stropped when I get to where ever I travel with it. I pull it out of the bag, hang it and rub it with my palm as if stropping. Then it looks just like it does hanging in my closet. I don’t own a Neil Miller strop – yet. I simply haven’t gotten there. I would truly be sad if for some reason I could not someday obtain a Neil Miller strop. What I do know and happy to report about all three of these strop makers I’ve personally dealt with is that they are remarkably friendly, completely pleasant and prompt in their dealings, honest come rain or shine and all three make you want them to be your next door neighbor. You may wish you had purchased one over the other but, you won’t lack for quality with either of these three. Those Kanoyamas are very nice I’m sure. I wish no ill over the Kanoyama folks in any way, however, I wouldn’t be quite so put out if I could never obtain one of those.

Regards

Chasmo

Finally I got my new strop from Scrupleworks, it looks a very solid and genuine horsehide, vegetable tanned. I tried it on 2 solingen (Puma and Thoso) and 2 TIs, it worked very good but in a different way from my previous soft napped strop, at first I was believing that the new strop made my razors too much aggressive, but after a short break in (rubbing on it with my palm before shaving), the leather became softer and smoother. These my first 4 straight razors were honed on a old and excellent belgian coticule. Also the linen appeared too "rough" at my eyes but it worked good on the edges. Because the little draw I had to use my ears to understand that it was effective on the razors, now the edges are keener and gave me a more gentle touch on my skin. This new strop is about 50cm long and 5cm wide.