Thread: What strop should I buy ?????

Can someone please give me their opinion on what strop to buy .........

Whether I bought the right one or not I don’t know, but here’s my thinking.
I bought 3” wide to make it easier on myself. I bought new, as I don’t know enough to buy a good used one, and I’d rather not have a contaminated strop. They’re not that expensive so if I buy wrong it’s not a huge deal. I bought linen and leather to give me more options.
Hope that helps. If you want I can PM you where I bought from so it doesn’t break any rules.

Heirloom razor company is a vender on SRP and has good quality strops. From the beginner strop to the fancy stuff. Whipped dog sells beginner strops too but of lesser quality.

Keep in mind that being new to all this means you have not learned the muscle memory when using a strop so the first one you buy should be low cost. So contact him and requestion a beginners strop and he will fix you up with leather and linen. In the future you can look for the horse butt strop as its the one most folks want in the end. Of course having many strops is a good thing as it gives you choices of draw and leather to play with but remember that leather of any type will do the job. Its just how it feels is what makes the difference. As long as its clean!

Personally, I'd go along with that ^. You can get a good real leather and linen strop for a reasonable price. Here is a thread on strop suggestions https://sharprazorpalace.com/strops/...endations.html from the strop forum.

Be aware that a lot of people, me included, cut their strops learning to strop properly. If that happens there are threads on strop repair. There are threads on strop repair. The search function box is very helpful in finding those

Bob

My first strop was a board strop to get used to stropping because they are easier to use to start.

I got a 3" bridal leather quite soon after starting to shave and I put a few nice cuts in it, I still do occasionaly because i try to go too fast and get confused. When I get confused and my hand is going faster than my head I stop mid stroke which invariably gives the leather a nick so if I have learned anything about stropping it's speed comes eventually (eventually being the operative word) and don't keep your razor still while it's touching the strop, or your face for that matter because a stationary razor cuts both leather and skin, it does for me anyway.

Originally Posted by STF

My first strop was a board strop to get used to stropping because they are easier to use to start.

Bingo! Straight Razor Designs used to sell a wonderful 3" paddle strop. If they're no longer carrying it, I'm sure there are other vendors that are. Paddle strops let you concentrate on the stroke, blade angle and pressure, etc., without having to worry about strop tension or "curling".

I got a 3" bridal leather quite soon after starting to shave and I put a few nice cuts in it, I still do occasionaly because i try to go too fast and get confused. When I get confused and my hand is going faster than my head I stop mid stroke which invariably gives the leather a nick so if I have learned anything about stropping it's speed comes eventually (eventually being the operative word) and don't keep your razor still while it's touching the strop, or your face for that matter because a stationary razor cuts both leather and skin, it does for me anyway.

This is a Pearl of Wisdom... kind of "a rolling stone gathers no moss" for razors (straights and "safety").

I think that Jerry got most of it. I also think you can likely find a strop closer to home. Almost any piece of clean, real leather will do. There are two thoughts. One is start with a cheap strop, as you will likely nick it, the second thought is buy a very expensive strop, because you will be more careful. I started with an inexpensive strop.

www.heirloomrazorstrop.com or www.whippeddog.com are two good places to look. The former for higher quality, the latter for lower price. Either one will get your hand in the game. If you go with Whipped Dog, I suggest the "Rich Man" strop rather than the often recommended "Poor Man" strop. I have a couple of my "Working Man" strops left, but TBH you would get a nicer one from Tony (heirloomrazorstrop) and cheaper from Larry (Whipped Dog). Mine mostly sell to beginners just wanting to get strop and razor from the same vendor.

Mostly, any strop with a reasonably smooth surface a minimum of 2-1/2" wide, and reasonably solid and secure end hardware, will work. There is very little difference, some would say zero difference, between the edge stropped on a $40 strop and an edge stropped on a $240 strop. The differences are the grade of leather, the care and workmanship put into treating it, the quality of the hardware and any secondary components, and overall fit and finish. Did I leave anything out? YES. The tactile qualities. The feel of the razor traveling up and down the strop. My two most frequently used strops are a compressed cowhide one I made, and a Kanayama horse shell cordoban. The cowhide has about 5 hours of my own hand labor in it, a lot more than the ones I sell, and maybe $20 in materials. The Kanayama I don't remember but I am sure it was somewhere not much less than $200. The cowhide does a fine job and has a very pleasing draw and overall feel. The Kanayama is in a league of its own, with a deep luster, a magical suppleness, a very fine grained surface, and a buttery sort of draw that makes me want to keep stropping and stropping. But there is no difference that I can detect, between identical razors stropped on each. They do the same job. The Kanayama is definitely worth the money. It is a fine strop and a joy to use.

Not saying you should go out and buy a premium strop. In fact, I very much agree with the general consensus and conventional wisdom that says start with an inexpensive strop and make your beginner mistakes on it, before laying down big bucks for a really fine one. What I want to illustrate is that one "decent" strop is about as good as the next, when it comes to effectiveness. Figure on spending somewhere between $20 and $50. Don't get sucked into buying utter garbage. I used to recommend the 2-1/2" model sold by theexbay on Ebay. It was $8.88 and VERY basic but it worked, and I often gave them away as freebies with nicer razors or multiple razor orders. I even have one in my lineup, though I seldom use it. But lately the quality of this strop has gone way downhill. Currently there are none that I know of in that price range that would satisfy you.

Illinois (Fromm) strops are okay for the price. I don't like the hardware but many users are happy with it.

Many artisan strop makers will on request make you a beginner strop out of components that simply won't do for a premium strop, but will work just fine nevertheless. Or maybe they have a "mistake" laying around that they would like to part with. Or who will just put together a bare bones strop to hold you over until you are ready to come back and buy a nicer (and expensiver) one. Never hurts to ask.

As far as linen/canvas/felt components go, I may be in the minority here, but I don't see them doing anything that leather alone cannot do. On strops that I have bought, except for my Kanayama, I have always discarded the secondary component. It is just in the way. I make strops without a secondary. The reason is that I can then have a D ring at each end, and hang the strop either end up. This may not seem important, but when you put a big cut in the right hand edge while stropping without your brain being in gear, you will be glad you can swap ends and put the nick on the far side. The only reason I still have the linen on my Kanayama is I appreciate the support that the horse shell component gets when I pull them both together. The Kanayama's clamshell top hardware allows the side edges to sag more than I like, but the heavy linen underneath gives it the lateral stiffness and flatness I like. Otherwise, I would have tossed the linen from that strop, too. So what I am saying, is that the secondary, IMHO, is absolutely NOT important. Unless it just is, to you.

Generally, end hardware secured with three Chicago screws is better than with two, because if cupping develops and you can't correct it by hand rubbing, you can slightly enlarge the holes in the leather to either side, leaving the centerline one as is. This puts a bit more of the strain in the center, and a bit of slack in the edges. With only two Chicago screws, you do not really have that option, though of course you could add a centerline screw. There are many who will disagree with me on this, of course. Actually there are many who will disagree with me on absolutely everything in the entire universe, but this is the internet.

Don't be afraid to buy a used strop if it looks like it is still smooth and supple, with no slices and dices and no cracks. And no tattletale green or red or black stains from pastes. You won't find that many hanging leather strops that have been used with pastes. Thankfully, mostly only the secondary components get abused like that. Yes, you can contaminate the leather by pasting the linen, but not so very badly that it won't serve as your beginner strop. Let's face it... as a beginner your first few shaves will probably be pretty sucky. It takes a few times at bat before you start getting good enough that the finer points of stropping are a significant factor. By then, your eyes will probably be on something in the $50+ range, anyway.

I would reiterate that buying a cheap strop first is a very good idea. You will absolutely cut the hell out of your first strop. You will flip the blade over but still be going in that direction and make a mess of it. My first was a gift, a cute little DOVO reindeer strop and I obliterated the poor thing. Don't be too hard on yourself when it happens, just know that it absolutely will happen.

Then you can read all of the strop repair threads that are on SRP.

@Smell, You have great info on the strops here, written by the fellow members. The one thing I would add, grab a butter knife, and practice on your new strop.
At least at the beginning, a butter knife will save or until you develop muscle memory, your newly purchased strop.
Cheers.