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Alastair's work finally got the better of me so I gave in and crumbled and finally placed a custom order UK Artisan strop maker Alastair of Westholme strops having spoken with Alastair many times I finally pulled the trigger on one of his beautiful strops, a premium Horsehide & linen with stainless steel fixtures and red croc handles.
Nice one Jamie:tu
Westholme strops are wonderful to use and Alastair is a gent to deal with.
Very nice Jamie. Looks like an extremely well made strop utilising quality components.
Really nice strop - Alastair has come a long way in a very short time.
Very nice, looks first class all the way.
Bob
Oh my.
Now that is a nice strop.
Beautiful strop,,, now I have to put one on the list,,,,, Thanks Celticcrusader,,,,,,:gaah:
Yeah John you need one sooner rather than later.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirlau
My God,,,,,no tree this year & Ramen Noodles for January,,,,:(
That is a sweet piece of work.
Luckily I still lift up the occasional feather on my strop. It would crush me to do that to this level of strop.
Niiice!
I dig my Westholme Cordovan as well, and have been tempted to get a couple more of his strops!
Gorgeous strop, Jamie. Congratulations.
oh dear jamie. you need to stop posting up these pictures hey. I like the fact that we are an island and therefore postage often stops me from pulling the trigger, but now....
What is the length of that one Jamie? I assume they do custom lengths where possible?
Go on, you know you want one! And it's on your island... practically next door! English made for an Englishman. How can you say no?Quote:
Originally Posted by Damo
Get out your wallet. Resistance is futile!
Just checked out Alastair's webpage after seeing this thread, will be placing an order for one of his starter strops, these seem excellent strops and superb value (being UK based).
Old thread but wanted to see the pics. No good here. Oh well. Sound like a nice one.
Some pics of mine for yaQuote:
Originally Posted by Gasman
Shell and Latigo
Attachment 273222
Attachment 273223
Alistair really does some fine work.
Very nice indeed. I have been looking at these for some time now. I really like the stuffed handles. Do you find that they are comfortable and do they get dirty?Quote:
Originally Posted by markbignosekelly
I find the handles very comfortable to use and mine does not get dirty, I only use with clean hands and when not in use it hangs in my cupboard.
Nice looking strop for sure,
I have just purchased a 'Starter' from Alastair, I was quite tempted to go higher spec after seeing some of the offerings on this forum page, but his entry level latigo and natural flax backed strop looks a fine piece of equipment. Now I only have to wait a couple of weeks!Quote:
Originally Posted by markbignosekelly
Im sure you will love it, Alistairs work is impeccable and his starter strops are essentially the same as the higher end ones, just a little less..er..jazzy. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by TomP30
Here's my latigo starter which arrived yesterday (Alastair's photo). There's latigo and there's latigo so I was pleased when I read Alastair sources his from Horween. As I'd hoped, it's dead flat, not too thick, comes broken in (i.e. soft) and with a very smooth, even draw. No hesitation to recommend as a Best Buy.
https://i.imgur.com/5TunwjW.jpg
Very nice indeed Michael, I am really interested to see how the draw compares with my PRC English Bridle, I am expecting it to be somewhat heavier.
The Horween Latigo is an excellent leather for stropping, its not like other heavy oiled, heavy draw Latigos. It has a wonderful draw, id say medium to light. Its not a dry or oily draw, somewhere in between.
Attachment 274308Attachment 274307This should be delivered this week, Burgundy Shell Cordovan with black latigo joiners. Alastair was kind enough to send these photos so I could drool while I wait for the strop to be delivered.
Brian, beautiful strop still waiting on mine and I don't even have pics so it may be awhile.Quote:
Originally Posted by BadB
Does anyone already use a strop from a new material that Alastair now offering - heavy horse fronts? (saw on Westholme Facebook page).
What this strop (leather) is different / comparable with Cordovan?
Another question for holders of the Kanayama and Westholme strops - which one do you like more and why?
I have used both Kanayama and Westholme Cordovan side by side and the Westholme is a tad more glassy compared to Kanayama but both impart a very keen edge, the Kanayama seems to be a bit more resilient to scuffs and scrapes compared to Westholmes cordovan but according to Alastair the cordovan that Kanayama uses is processed differently than the Horween cordovan he uses for his strops.
The last bit is a bit puzzling, to me at least. IIRC from Neil Millers postings, shell Cordovan leather is leather from two small areas on a horse's rump that was processed a specific way in Cordoba Spain. That method of tanning was brought to the Cordoba region of Spain by the Moors. That particular tanning process is what makes it shell Cordovan leather. If it is processed differently is it then really shell Cordovan?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jnatcat
Bob
Your right Bob, Kanayama is Shell but not Cordovan as the tanning process is different. I thought it was the other away around as Naomi San uses very thick Shell, Horweens is about 1/2 the thickness.
I have both Westholme Shell and a Kanayama, I love both of them, both have a very fast, slick draw, the Kanayama more so for me, like skating on ice.
If I had to give the nod to one it would be the Kanayama simply because Naomi San processes the Shell himself.
Kanayama is a very simple strop, straight cut with no beveled edge and cheap hardware but barbers used these simple strops for years. The Westholme is a very well made strop and craftsmanship excellent. The thing with Alistairs strops is he can talyor it to your preference and budget.
Bottom line is I love both of them!
What about the new Westholme material - heavy horse fronts?
Who used it?
From the Westholme facebook: "Here is a new material that I'm now offering - heavy horse fronts. This is another Horween Leather Company product, and I haven't stopped using this test strop that I made for myself.
These hides are full grain and tanned to produce an oiled & waxy leather.
Left alone, the leather needs a little bit of a warming (vigorous palm rub) to bring out the best prior to stropping a razor. But I treated a piece of the leather with a light coat of neatsfoot oil, and the result is the darker appearance that you see in this test strop. The result is amazing. A supple strop with a draw just on the heavier side of medium. I love it, and its become my favourite strop by some distance."
https://fb-s-b-a.akamaihd.net/h-ak-f...de3b4db3e4733c
what can I say, I have been using my Wedtholme Starter for a little over a fortnight and it is a wonderful thing, I wasn't sure if I'd like working with the 'Barber's End' on the strop, but I actually think I prefer it.
I have what I believe to be the first one Alastair has produced, other than his test strop!Quote:
Originally Posted by Navarrsky
The leather has a grainy texture and takes a little while to run in from a very plastic initial feel, once run in it is amazing, a medium to heavy draw which will not suit manyAttachment 276591
This is my actual strop.
I also have a Kanayama 60k which is has a glassy feel compared to the DHF and a Westholme starter strop which is between the two.
The quality of the hardware on Alastairs strop is beyond comparison making the Kanayama look cheep.
I opted for tabs on both surfaces to prevent cupping but they also help in keeping the tension on the strop, again compared to the Kanayama with a very flimsy tab only on the second surface.
I'm delighted with it and quite happy to try to answer any further questions.
Mike.
