Quick on the draw

[BlacknTan]

I ordered ian SRD Premium 1 strop last Friday, it shipped the next day and it arrived two days ago, on Monday! Can't beat that service!!

So, the P1 arrived and I just had to strop on it to get the feel... WOW!! What a difference from the Tony Miller Latigo! These two strops must be at the extreme ends of the spectrum as far as draw is concerned, because the difference is faaaar more than I expected... Neither product better or worse than the other, but both very different!
So, can the Premium 1 with far less draw do the same job in the same amount of strokes as the TM Latigo, or does the presence of lack of draw influence the edge refinement properties?
And, are these strops truly the extremes, or are there strops with more draw than the TM Latigo and less draw than the SRD P1??

I just might need to try them all... wit a bridle leather probably next in my sights..

Sure glad I'm saving all this money with straights by not having to buy throw-away blades...

[ShavedZombie]

Heyo, I'm good at this!

Okay, so, the Premium I actually is not the extreme, neither is the latigo! In my experience, the most extreme LACK of draw comes from Horsehide (also, the PII is almost the exact same draw as horsehide, but made out of specially treated cowhide). Meanwhile, the most extreme PRESENCE of draw comes from SRD's Buffalo leather (Premium III) which has draw in BUCKETS.

That being said, they all do the same job, it just comes down to preference... Some people *myself included!* say that the heavier the draw the faster it works, but the lighter the draw the more refined the edge (that's why I go from Latigo to horsehide for stropping).

What this is to say is that, if a razor hasn't been stropped in a while, the heavy draw (In my mind/qualitative experience... I know of no scientific backing for this other than my own experiences) will work faster to realign the edge, as apposed to light, almost nonexistant draw. However, once a razor is stropped and ready to go, the lighter you can strop, the finer the edge... This can be acheived by either using incredibly small pressure on a heavy draw strop (almost using pressure AWAY from the strop) to get that finishing touch, or by going on to a very light draw, very smooth strop.

The leathers I've used for stropping, in order of draw, from heaviest draw to lightest:

SRD Premium III
Tony Miller Latigo
SRD Latigo
SRD Bridle leather (Premium IV)
Kangaroo Leather
Ox Hide
Spanish Horsehide
SRD Premium I
SRD Premium II
Nameless Cordovan strop
Kanayama Shell (Only used it once, though, God I want one of my own!)
Tony Miller Horsehide

From Premium II to horsehide, the difference is very minimal

Any other questions?

[BlacknTan]

Good info!!

Thanks

[Disburden]

And that's why ShavedZombie is the strop master, thanks!

[ShavedZombie]

I'd never say master, I've just played with a lot of different strop leathers... I only own 9 at this point in time (and am hunting for vintage ones right now, rather than readily available production).....

Lynn... Now he's got the strop collection I'd kill for. I owe the vast majority of my strop knowledge (and really all the rest of my knowledge about straight razors) to him! Truly a delight to talk with and a mountain of straight razor know-how.

Cheers guys,
Jeremy

[Nightblade]

So...would say the 3 inch latigo be a good middle ground strop then? I am having decision woes. I like good draw.I have a Jemico red russian leather strop currently.It's got decent draw which I like the feel of,but I would like something a little more supple.

[Lynn]

The Latigo's all start off a little slick, but develop a nice draw after breaking in. I usually treat a couple times lightly with neatsfoot oil and rub my palm daily on the strop until warm for a few weeks to get past some of the oil and wax they are tanned with.

Have fun,

Lynn

[Nightblade]

Hey Lynn thanks fer th' tip.I put in an order for a 3 inch english bridle strop,some camilla oil and oh yes....Blood orange shave soap. if anybody out there hasn't tried SRD's shave soaps,I might suggest y'all try them......eeeeexxxuisite !!! Started m'day with a dovo special cold water shave with some lime soap(then got a phone call)so after m'lather disappeared,I started back up with West indies bay soap,Head,neck n face,finished off with alum block and Clubman Special Reserve,Got a small nick but tried Lynn's tip on antibiotic ointment and was ready to face the evil ol' world yeeeahhhh baby !! I'm gonna go down to the bar now n get me a beer and some fish n chips......I would like to see a can of goo and a five blade shaver deliver this kind of satisfaction HA !!

[buckeye]

great info on strops. getting ready to order my first. dave

[Bruce]

Personal preferences are an amazing thing. I prefer a strop with very little draw as I don't want to fight the strop as I push and pull the razor along its surface. A lot of draw on the leather for me is like putting rubber cement on the canvas. But I'm still learning. Maybe graduating to more draw is just what I need to exercise my arthuritis.