Thread: Hand American

A few guys were waiting on delivery of strops. Have you rec'd them yet? If so, what are your thoughts? Anyone who has them already, please advise your latest thoughts also. Many thanks.

Keith told me shortly before xmas that he was getting swamped with orders so he took the page down. Some additional orders made it through as some guys were able to access the page by googling after Keith had taken it down. I also have one on the way and all I can say is that Keith will come through but we have to be patient.

Santa delivered these on Christmas Eve. The Signature strop is something new; He changed both leathers from the 830. The back is a smooth horse, the front is spectacular; I just don't know what it is.
Santa was good this year!

Is this a new version of the 830 with an unknown leather? I wonder if the "old" 830 is still available with the bridle and diamond embossed back.

Originally Posted by Sailinblues

Santa delivered these on Christmas Eve. The Signature strop is something new; He changed both leathers from the 830. The back is a smooth horse, the front is spectacular; I just don't know what it is.
Santa was good this year!

Man, these HandAmerican strops are getting to me. They're very, very nice. Think I may have to pick one up soon...

Those look real nice.

I don;t need another strop
I don't need another strop
I don;t need another strop

Must resist

Originally Posted by Sailinblues

Santa delivered these on Christmas Eve. The Signature strop is something new; He changed both leathers from the 830. The back is a smooth horse, the front is spectacular; I just don't know what it is.

I too received both the 830 and the Signature (and a wool felt) just before Christmas.

Keith said this about the Signature in his email: "it has a Cordovan horse front and bark tanned horse back." So both sides are horse, just tanned differently.

I have been using these strops since I got them and am forming a very nice impression of them.

These are *very* different from the other strops I have. (It seems I have turned into a stropaholic!) The HA strops are massive. First of all, I am used to, and like very much, the two-inch strops so those who are familiar with two-and-a-half or three-inch strops may not see as much of a difference.

But, they are massive in another way -- they are two pieces of leather joined back-to-back. This makes them heavy and "unfloppy" for lack of better word. I don't want to say they are stiff as that sounds wrong. They just make my other strops seem floppy in comparison.

They are also quite long. I had to raise the screw eye I use to hang the strops from.

A few Q&A's with Keith:

Q: On the Signature strop are the two sides intended to be used in succession? For example first the bark tanned then the Cordovan?
A: After awhile you will find that razors respond differently to different leathers - the two leathers just give you a choice.

Q: How are the different strops to be used in relation to each other?
A: It all depends on the condition of the razor. With a blade that holds an edge well the signature strop is the daily strop. With blades that dull quickly the diamond cut works well - on full hollows you only need 6-10 strokes to bring the edge back. The felt is designed to do the same thing but again it comes down to the razor.

Q: Why are there no handles on the leather but there is a handle on the wool?
A1: The wool has a handle because people may use compounds with it and may not want to grab a handful of chromium oxide. Also it allows you to pull for increased tension.
A2: Our leather strops are made so that they provide more of a platform so pulling tight isn't necessary. I'm right handed so I grab the strop a few inches from the end with my left hand with the fingers behind the strop and the thumb across.

Q: How do I use the diamond spray?
A: First shake the bottle good to disperse the diamond and then figure 6-10 spritzes for initial coverage and 4-6 to replenish every week or so. Try leaving one side without diamond spray as the felt works well on its own.

Bob, is the cordovan side smooth and the bark taned backing rough?

Originally Posted by Domino

Bob, is the cordovan side smooth and the bark taned backing rough?

Both sides are smooth. Look at the second and third pictures posted by Sailinblues. The Signature is the strop to the right. The two pictures show the two sides, a dark and a light color. In person the dark side shows almost no grain. The light side also doesn't show much grain, but maybe a bit more. As Keith said, the two sides are both for daily use but give you a choice. The dark side feels just a little slicker.

Thanks Bob. Since the leather had two different treatments I just wanted to be sure that both sides were smooth.