Thread: Looking at Strops

I was hoping for a seasoned vets opinion on vintage strops. My whipped dog poor mans isnt cutting it anymore. I know the leather pictures are limited and the seller doesn't know anything about strops. The price was super cheap but I'm thinking of cancelling the purchase.
What do you think?
Detroit Razor Strop Company 44-20 | eBay

If opinions are not high this was my other choice. Made in 2.5 or 3" width
Razor Strop, New, High Quality, 3x25", Excellent 4 New & Experienced, AA

Thanks for the help guys

Impossible to tell from the current picture on the Detroit piece. The other is new but doesn't say where it was made which is a concern to me. it looks OK in the pics but once you get it (if you do) that will tell for sure.

Personally I'd save my money and spend a bit more and get a known entity from SRD or another outfit and you know you will be getting a top notch strop whichever model you choose.

First vintage piece looks pretty beat-up with a wooden handle added later. Second picture looks like a recent Illinois strop production out-take. I'm not a fan of the recent Illinois strops.

I like a slick strop, horsehide or shell.

This one looked pretty interesting to me for the price: https://www.royalshave.com/30-degree...-with-handle-2. Personally, I would remove the handles and use it square-cut at the end. But at 2" wide, maybe that's not much of an upgrade from your Whipped Dog piece? I like strops in the 2" to 2-1/2" width range; 3" wide just strikes me as typical super-size-me marketing.

I recently got a SRD strop (premium IV) and I have been really enjoying it, although previous strop was a Illinois #127. I actually liked my Illinois but wanted a strop that wasn't as stiff and 3" wide. Went with SRD strop since there are like 3-5 different options and you can always replace the leather. Don't know enough about strops to say anything about vintage ones though

why isn't your whipped dog not cutting it anymore? buying a cheap strop that is of unknown quality or just plain wore out isn't upgrading. it doesn't cost that much to just get a decent strop, as said SRD has many price ranges for a quality strop with replacement panels which is good for beginners Tc


going to cheap on strops is a mistake anyway, its the most important piece of equipment to maintain a razors edge

Great info guys. Thank you

The new strop I listed from eBay is made by the seller. Here's his website
Big Easy Tools

I wish that 30° strop was 2.5" I'd buy it....

Well I just pulled the trigger on a new 3" Tony Miller strop...

In what way is this any better that what you already have? A bad or damaged strop can microchip your edge, requiring honing to repair. As has been stated before, the strop is your most important piece of equipment for maintenance. In my opinion, the quality of strop is as important - if not more so - than the quality of the quality of the razor itself. The two vintage strops you have presented so far aren't even worth considering as first-line strops, and the proprietor of the shop you mention has been banned from this forum for deceptive practices, as best I recall. Keep using your Whipped Dog strop and save your pennies for a quality strop from Straight Razor Designs, Larry Miller, etc.


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If you really want to up your game, for a bit more you can get a Kanayama shell cordovan strop, one of the very best made anywhere. There are a multitude of posts on this forum extolling the unrivaled quality and feel of these strops., Indeed, many of us own more than one. Here is their entry level No. 10000, which is the same material as all of their strops, just thinner.

KANOYAMA Kanayama Cordovan #10000 Razor Strop

Originally Posted by sqzbxr

In what way is this any better that what you already have? A bad or damaged strop can microchip your edge, requiring honing to repair. As has been stated before, the strop is your most important piece of equipment for maintenance. In my opinion, the quality of strop is as important - if not more so - than the quality of the quality of the razor itself. The two vintage strops you have presented so far aren't even worth considering as first-line strops, and the proprietor of the shop you mention has been banned from this forum for deceptive practices, as best I recall. Keep using your Whipped Dog strop and save your pennies for a quality strop from Straight Razor Designs, Larry Miller, etc.


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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