Quote Originally Posted by bvanfossen View Post
Idk who Larry Miller is but I just bought a Tony Miller strop.

Google Certifyd Deep Cut strop and you'll see what a quality strop it is.... my question was gauging the leather condition from pictures which is hard to do.

I'm super glad to know that guy may have a bad rep

Thank you
Mental error - I meant to say Tony Miller (Heirloom Strop Co.). My issue with grooved surface strops is that dirt and impurities that can damage the edge can accumulate in the grooves, the grooves themselves are an edge that can damage the razor's edge, that they create potential crack zones, that they violate the integrity of the surface of the leather, and that they can conceal (or at least make difficult to spot) flaws in the leather that would otherwise cause it to be rejected. In my opinion, these types of strops were made as a marketing ploy, to distinguish their product from the competition and to provide a dubious 'benefit' to the user. When you recall that the strop's job is to provide the final straightening and burnishing of the working edge, an area so small it requires at least 1000x magnification to actually see, then the only strop surface that makes sense to use is the smoothest possible leather of the finest quality.