Thread: Any experience with Griffith strops?

As advised by Bob lz6, I emailed Matt on Sunday evening. I got a response back soon thereafter. I expected to hear back sometime Monday, but getting a response back on Sunday evening surprised me. I told you he was responsive.

My timing was perfect. Matt just receive a shipment of shells from England. He is going to make a strop to for me to my specs: 3" width, burgundy leather with black Chromexcel handles.

He also has brown and whiskey tan shells available. So if you are interested in him making one for you, send Matt an email. If you do not want handles, Matt also does barber style ends.

I have a 2.5" barbers end strop en route. I should get it tomorrow, unfortunately Thursdays are my busiest days, but I will try my best to post about it ASAP.

Matt completed my 3" shell Cordovan strop. 21" stropping length. I should have it sometime next week. I am looking forward to its arrival. If it performs as well as it looks, I will be quite happy.

Gave a few licks on the strop last night, super slick leather and the linen component is really nice. The fabric is fairly smooth, not nearly as zippy as my SRD webbing or Kanayama, both well broken on. The leather is gorgeous, uniform and as flat as a 10 year old soda.

I like the hardware, quality made. The hook is smaller than I have seen, but fits my bracket well, if not better than the typical hook.

The quality of this strop is well past the price point. I highly recommend it.

I use his Chromexcel 2 1/2 inch barbers end and love it. Never had a problem with it and have used it daily for over a year. Was never fond of wide strops.

Originally Posted by RayClem

Matt completed my 3" shell Cordovan strop. 21" stropping length. I should have it sometime next week. I am looking forward to its arrival. If it performs as well as it looks, I will be quite happy.

Any reviews on this strop now that you've had it a few weeks?

I have been using my new shell cordovan strop for a while. When I first got it, the strop had quite a bit of draw, surprising considering how "slick" the leather looked. Matt said that he ships the leather just as the manufacturer leaves it. He suggested that I wipe the leather with a clean cloth to remove any excess waxes, etc. left over from the tanning process. When I did that, the draw became faster, but is still greater than my Tony Miller fast bridle.

My current procedure is to strop about 20 lap on latigo, 30 laps on fast bridle, and 40 laps on shell. That gives a wonderful edge, a little better than using either the latigo or fast bridle alone or in combination.
I have not tried stropping on the shell alone, but it would probably give a similar edge. I use three strops because I can.

I really like the "linen" portion of the strop. I believe it is made from cotton. It is not nearly as zippy as the cotton on my TM strop, or the polyester webbing that came on my latigo.

Originally Posted by RayClem

I have been using my new shell cordovan strop for a while. When I first got it, the strop had quite a bit of draw, surprising considering how "slick" the leather looked. Matt said that he ships the leather just as the manufacturer leaves it. He suggested that I wipe the leather with a clean cloth to remove any excess waxes, etc. left over from the tanning process. When I did that, the draw became faster, but is still greater than my Tony Miller fast bridle.

My current procedure is to strop about 20 lap on latigo, 30 laps on fast bridle, and 40 laps on shell. That gives a wonderful edge, a little better than using either the latigo or fast bridle alone or in combination.
I have not tried stropping on the shell alone, but it would probably give a similar edge. I use three strops because I can.

I really like the "linen" portion of the strop. I believe it is made from cotton. It is not nearly as zippy as the cotton on my TM strop, or the polyester webbing that came on my latigo.

Good review!

Have you tried stropping only on the new strop, linen and shell, to see how that compares to your normal procedure?

I had a look at the website. The offerings look excellent. One thing did confuse me though and perhaps someone can clarify for me. They list a horse butt strop and a shell Cordovan strop. In my understanding of Cordovan, my belief is that all Cordovan is select leather from a horses rump. So I'm no quite sure what the distinction is between horse butt leather and Shell Cordovan. Any insights?

As an aside, I've been in the Horween Tannery buying shell Cordovan rounds and scraps for archery uses. It's like walking back in time, complete with wooden carts and facilities that have to date back to the late 17th century.

Originally Posted by Midway

I had a look at the website. The offerings look excellent. One thing did confuse me though and perhaps someone can clarify for me. They list a horse butt strop and a shell Cordovan strop. In my understanding of Cordovan, my belief is that all Cordovan is select leather from a horses rump. So I'm no quite sure what the distinction is between horse butt leather and Shell Cordovan. Any insights?

Cromexel is a process patented by Horween. Although the leather can be either horsehide or cowhide, the Cremexel used by Matt at Griffith is horsehide from the butt portion of the bide.

Shell Cordovan is produced from a inner membrane on the horse's rump. It is not the outer horsehide. Thus, the characteristics are a little different. Since shell cordovan is defined by the type of leather rather than the process used to tan it, it can be supplied by several tanneries; Horween of Chicago is only one such supplier. Matt purchases his shell cordovan from a tannery in Sheffield, England according to the stamp on the back of the leather. Clayton has been operating in Sheffield since 1840.

Shell cordovan has been revered as a premium leather since it was first made in Cordoba, Spain in the 7th century. The Cordovan name was derived from the city of origin. Its primary use was once for barber's strops, but with lesser demand for that use today, it now finds its way into high-end shoes, wallets, handbags, and other leather goods.