Thread: Dovo XL Strop, Russian leather

This is a topic very well covered in this 'STROPS' forum. From having a quick look there are a dozen or more threads on this and related strops threads that are appropriate for beginners, check there for tons of reading. Welcome to the forum.

You don't want to use a pasted strop as your daily strop. A velvety (Russian finish) is a nice way to start as a beginner. It cleans the blade better and even corrects for marginal mistakes in the level of pressure. Personallly, I'd buy another strop and only use the pasted strop for touch-ups on freaquently used razors.

Strops are simple creatures hardly brutes. As long as you have a quality piece of leather with no mars or imperfections and quality finishing it will do it's job. The critter it comes from makes no difference.

Depending on the finishing and the animal derived from it will look different, smell different, feel different and strop differently (meaning draw) but the razor will be blind to it all and shave the same.

When folks talk about differing results with different strops I think the differences in feel just cause them to use the strop differently. Also when you pay a mint for a strop you just know it has to do a better job than a mere basic strop.

I imagine these days somewhere between $40 and $60 will get you a strop that will get the job done. Pay more and you get fancy leather and hardware and longer, wider and thicker leather. You also get prettier leather and leather with more or specialized finishing and tanning.

Makes you wonder how people justify their expensive hones, based on your logic that they all do the same job? I saw a Nakayama Hatahoshi on hone of the day, recently, for which you could have bought a car with the money it was worth....lol....maybe a motor bike

For vintage Japanese natural hones you pay a premium because they are no longer mined. Price is an add-up of performance, size, looks, stamps and rarity.

Hones are not strops.

In Japan vintage natural hones are collectible items and people pay astronomic sums to acquire them. Most of them aren't even used for honing rather they sit in a collectors cabinet.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Hones are not strops.

In Japan vintage natural hones are collectible items and people pay astronomic sums to acquire them. Most of them aren't even used for honing rather they sit in a collectors cabinet.

Geeee that's gotta be frustrating... imagine that, nlt only you are a stone... cannot move or do anything... bu you in fact are a pretty spwcial.stone that could serve a noble.purpose... and because of that, you are condemned to not be serving that purpose!!! LOL

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Yeah I agree, those stones are really beautiful, that fact they (the best and rarest) still have their stamps mean, due to their providence, they will sadly never find themselves being used. Collectibles are different indeed to strops, but none the less making the choice to own or buy a collectible hone rests with the purchaser. Like strops, we have choices, as we do razors, the cost is only important to some. But to decry the buyers of strops to the 'elitist' bin over what is a very small amount of money is unfair.
I received my product/price list from Alistair at Westholme strops just this morning, but I've learnt that it's unwise to publicise it.

Originally Posted by bobski

Yeah I agree, those stones are really beautiful, that fact they (the best and rarest) still have their stamps mean, due to their providence, they will sadly never find themselves being used. Collectibles are different indeed to strops, but none the less making the choice to own or buy a collectible hone rests with the purchaser. Like strops, we have choices, as we do razors, the cost is only important to some. But to decry the buyers of strops to the 'elitist' bin over what is a very small amount of money is unfair.
I received my product/price list from Alistair at Westholme strops just this morning, but I've learnt that it's unwise to publicise it.

Ohhh yeah.. those are sweeet strops mine is on the works... but waiting for me to decide on couple of details... he's a real artist... and best of it... you can customize how you want it!!!

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I was attracted straight up when I heard the draw was half that of a Kanayama. The Westholmes must be something else, and from having a cursory look at the list, I'd be happy with a 2.5 inch bourbon coloured with barber's ends. I think they are 160 quid, which is about the same as a Kanayama. You can pay heaps more for the handles and three inch wide models, but I don't want 3 inches. Do you know the lag time between order and delivery?
When I mentioned people spend lots more on hones, I'm only talking everyday jnats not heirloom models. I have three jnats and the cheapest of the three costs more than a Kanayama #70000, and my jnats are just middle of the road Ozuku, shobu, Wakasa. As most of us know a reasonable quality jnat, costs more than a strop, and they arent collectibles they are just average hones. So at days end it's just personal choice, not being a snob. When your Westholme arrives, give us a report, should be great reading. Bob