When I first started out shaving with a straight I did not want to spend a lot of money on equipment not knowing if it would become a permanent practice for me. So when it came to buying a strop I bought a cheap one from amazon, think it was even called a starter or practice strop. Think I only paid about $15 for it. This strop worked well for me and served its purpose. After about six months using this strop with no damage done to it I felt like it was time for me to graduate to a better quality strop. So, after some research and recommendations from the members of this forum I decided to bite the bullet and get a premium IV English bridal strop from SRD. After the first use all I could do is say WOW! The quality was definitely noticed. The feel of my razor on this strop was amazing. Now, this is in no way a knock against the cheap strop I started with as I cannot say that with my stopping skills that the strop made a difference in the finished product. As noted the cheap strop served its purpose as I was not afraid of damaging it and it gave me time to build my confidence to spend money on a more expensive strop without being worried about destroying it. I would advise anyone starting out shaving with straights to do the same and begin with a cheap strop. Then, once you are confident in your skills to spend the money on a higher quality strop you will be able to enjoy the quality without the worry.