Thread: SRD Premium II?

I have read reviews and comments on the Premium I, III and IV but no much on the Premium II. Going by the description on SRD site, it seems to be a very interesting option for one not wanting a heavey latigo draw or a very light horsehide draw. Anyone has any experience to share with the Premium II strop?

I was also wondering this since they are on sale right now and I was thinking about a new strop purchase. I'm also curious how all of the premiums compare to each other...

Premium I : Perfect finishing strop, or a great every day strop. Very light draw, very refined. It's wonderful.

Premium II : Has a very slick draw, slick like fresh, virgin horsehide. Takes a good deal of break in... It usually ends up being about the same as a fresh Premium I, if I understand correctly

Premium III : Draw. Lots of draw. Lots and lots and lots of draw.

Premium IV : Perfect. Just perfect. It has a draw that is very smooth and velvety, right in between Horsehide and Latigo.

IMO: Premium IV + Premium I = Best stropping setup ever.

Any other questions?

(All this information is thanks to Lynn letting me play with his strops, and my experience on my strops)

EDIT: From LEAST draw to MOST draw: Premium II < Premium I < Premium IV < Premium III

The III Had too much for me, it just pulled the razor too hard. The premium II has too slick of a surface, not enough draw. The IV is PERFECTLY at the bottom of my preferred draw, and the I is PERFECTLY at the top of my draw preference

Thanks ShavedZombie. It must be nice to have the chance to actually use the strop before buying it (or worst from a SAD point of view). I need a strop for my Sheffield blades. The Bridle seems to be the ticket.

Definitely start on a Bridle, they're wonderful. If you so wish, get the Extra Long version, the length actually does make a very nice difference.

However, once you want to get the edges even sharper, I'd suggest investing in a Premium I.

So many wonderful Strops.. so little time...

Get a bridle even if you already have a latigo? I want a finishing strop....

Originally Posted by ShavedZombie

Premium I : Perfect finishing strop, or a great every day strop. Very light draw, very refined. It's wonderful.

Premium II : Has a very slick draw, slick like fresh, virgin horsehide. Takes a good deal of break in... It usually ends up being about the same as a fresh Premium I, if I understand correctly

Premium III : Draw. Lots of draw. Lots and lots and lots of draw.

Premium IV : Perfect. Just perfect. It has a draw that is very smooth and velvety, right in between Horsehide and Latigo.

IMO: Premium IV + Premium I = Best stropping setup ever.

Any other questions?

(All this information is thanks to Lynn letting me play with his strops, and my experience on my strops)

EDIT: From LEAST draw to MOST draw: Premium II < Premium I < Premium IV < Premium III

The III Had too much for me, it just pulled the razor too hard. The premium II has too slick of a surface, not enough draw. The IV is PERFECTLY at the bottom of my preferred draw, and the I is PERFECTLY at the top of my draw preference

Great review and information, thanks for sharing!

So I'm going to put you on the spot now...!

If you had to choose one of them, which one would it be? I'm only asking coz I'm tempted to get a Premium 1 and I was wondering whether you reckon I should get a different one...!

Originally Posted by Xury

Get a bridle even if you already have a latigo? I want a finishing strop....

(To avoid confusion: Bridle = Premium IV)

Xury: Short Answer: If you already have Latigo, and want a FINISHING strop, get the Premium I. If you already have latigo and want to UPGRADE the latigo, get a Bridle. If you are like me, and want every strop that can be used in any situation, get bridle and Premium I, then you'll never touch the latigo . However, for a finisher, you can't beat the Premium I

Long Answer: I have Strop AD, so I personally have a Latigo, a Bridle, a horsehide, and plan on getting a Premium I, so that may not apply to you. That does, however, give me at least soem experience. So, I will say this: A Bridle has draw in between latigo and Horsehide, As does the Premium I; Both would be good for daily stropping, however, I prefer the Bridle for daily stropping (Over both Latigo and the Premium I) However, I never strop on just one, I always strop, then use a finishing strop. If you want a FINISHING strop, and don't want to break in a Horsehide, DEFINITELY get a Premium I: It has less draw than a Bridle, but it's a very "elegant", smooth, velvety draw that has ASTOUNDING results on an already stropped blade. So Premium I would be the one you want, not the Bridle

Originally Posted by Stubear

Great review and information, thanks for sharing!

So I'm going to put you on the spot now...!

If you had to choose one of them, which one would it be? I'm only asking coz I'm tempted to get a Premium 1 and I was wondering whether you reckon I should get a different one...!

Why thank you, Stubear! I find stropping fascinating, and love learning about leathers (No one make a fetish joke, please >.<)

Well, Stu, this depends on what strops you already have, as I mentioned above. For instance, if you have a Latigo and want to upgrade to something that will do the latigo's job better (every day stropping/before a finishing strop) I would recommend the bridle, as I love that thing. Very much. It's a wonderful strop that, alone, can do the work of any other strop I've found yet. However, If you already have latigo (or some comparable daily strop) and you want somethign to put that final polish on the blade that makes it shine, and sharper than ever, you want a Premium I, which is just an absolutely wonderful finishing strop.

However, If your current situation is that you have only got a Beginner strop (Say, an Illinois, or something like that [I'm not putting down Illinois strops, they are great to start on, and will serve any veteran admirably, but there are better]) If you only have a beginner/nicked up strop, and you wanted to pick one strop to upgrade to that would be your new daily strop, essentially your only strop, DEFINITELY go with the Bridle (Premium IV) as that is, in my humble opinion, the best daily strop you can find. Anywhere. Hands down. It has the perfect amount of draw for use every day, before, after, and in between shaving. It's just a wonderful strop.

However, even though the bridle gives EXCELLENT results and is my "go to" strop on every plane imaginable (I'm going to go hug it... I love you Mr. Bridle) If you want to take a bridle stropped razor and make it even better, get the Premium I as a finisher and you will NOT be disappointed. (or, if you're happy with your current strop, and want a finisher, rather than a new, upgraded daily strop, also get the Premium I! To an extent, you can do all your daily stropping needs on the Premium I [I still like the bridle better for daily stropping, though] but as a finisher it just can't be beat)

Hope you can divine your answer from all that rambling... I try to be concise, but it usually just ends up being confusing.

Any other questions? I love finally knowing a topic!

EDIT: Stu, if you'll tell me what strops you already have, I can make a more informed suggestion since I'll know what you're currently using... so if you could fill me in, that'd be great. Thanks!

Now, we need some videos to hear the draw!

Also, The SRD Modular Paddle would be a great method for those of you with little space, or prefer a Paddle... The scrub Leather for a pre-strop, and then the Premium I for finishing... It would take up less space, and get just as awesome of results