Thread: Illinois strop good enough?

I have an illinois 127 strop at the moment that has done me really well. Even better after I lathered it. Ive of course heard about the tony miller and srd strops which made me wonder if the illinois is good, Would the tony miller/srd be great? would it pay to upgrade? any comparison opinions would be much appriciated.

For a long time, that is all I used. Yes, it is enough and will do the job.

Will more expensive strops be great? That is hard to answer. Just like if a more expensive razor will give you a better shave. Personally, I think that if your stropping is sound, you probably will be hard pressed to find a noticeable difference.

As for comparisons: The fabric component of the SRD/TM (or just about any of the leading strops) will give you a better feel than the stiff illinois counterpart. That is the worst part of the (newer) illinois strops. As for the leather, the other strops mentioned will be smoother and more even, as IIRC, the 127 uses the inner surface of the hide.

So upgrading will be a personal preference. But as you said, it's done you really well, so...

I think the truth is that as long as you stay away from ebay garbage strops, it's hard to go wrong.

Tony miller is heirloom quality, quite literally. SRD, which is what I use, is really great as well. A good Illinois is effective, simple, and consistent. Ruprazor, Dovo, same deal. Good, effective, nice looking strops. My first was an ugly, torn up, vintage leather/linen combo strop I bought from the classifieds.

At the end of the day, I think it's 95% preference, and 5% budget.

Originally Posted by RayG

, as IIRC, the 127 uses the inner surface of the hide.

Actually, that would be the #827. The #127 uses the outer smooth part.

My personal favorite Illinois strop is the #361. Tony Miller makes a good strop but I wouldn't say its better than an Illinois strop as far as use goes. Craftsmanship? yes, Tony's will be better but for use, if you know how to strop it will make little difference in my opinion.

Well, yes. The Illinois 827 has nice leather and works. But it is flimsy, and feels cheap. The more up market strops feel better, and that is basically it. Some of our users use different strops during the same session. This reminds me of discussions about 30k+ hones - to each his own...

The only strop I know that is markedly different is in a totally different league price wise.

Regards,
Robin

My Illinois 827 works fine for me. Given this, I could never justify spending more. But, if paying more for something makes you feel better, then it is probably worth it to you.

Need -vs- Want question

Just so long as the strop is smooth and even (no cupping) the Illi's are fine, I have one #305) that is 29 years old and still usable I always have an #827 hanging for after the hones...(I like their linen) They are in general good solid strops...

Now for every day use I have a SRD Premium 1 hanging, I also have a Heirloom double leather that is a beautiful strop These are markedly of better quality, everything about them is "more" I am looking at the new SRD Bridle Leather...and the Kanyanma (sp) Do I NEED them ???? nope, but damn I want them....

Here's my take:

I bought a 3 wide black Laitgo Mountain strop from Classishaving when I first started. It had a raw cowhide second strop for pasting, which worked great, esp at teaching me how to paste (lessons learned here) and how to strop.

Now I got great shaves off of this strop for over a year. However last xmas my brother bought me the SRD Bridle strop.

I have to say the results and performance are better, much better, and why?

Well the first reason is the quality of the material, and secondly my skills improved greatly so that I could take advantage of the smooth bridle leather and pasted webbing.

Now my results are consistent and perfect.

Will I need a Kanyama? Not really, but when I get to that next level I sure will buy one or whatever is next up the ladder at that time.

P.S. The black Latigo is now in the hands of my younger brother and he's learning his way on that one the way I did.


cheers
David

I agree that the 827 and newer Illinois, while very good strops are flimzier than their vintage counterparts. I had a 6506 for many years that was better constructed and had quality leathers handles unlike their current strops. Other than the handles, they do a great job.

Thanks everyone looks like the illinois is here to stay.