Hey all. i've got a bit of a quick question.

I'm not at all happy with my first strop i got a while ago. aside from 2 good nicks at the handle side of the strop (one of which i was able to cement, but the spine still bumps).

It's a 14" Bismarck strop, but i didn't inspect it when i bought it. the top 2-3 inches are harder, dry, and cracked and in general it's a little difficult to use. the 10 usable inches i've got aren't even all that flat either. i paid $30 for the dang thing.

I'm looking for a replacement, but i'd prefer not to spend too much. Partially because i've only been at this for little over a month, and am not 100% confident in my technique (not $85 sure).

I was thinking about the whippeddog poor man's strop, but i don't think i'd like not having a handle. i'm tempted by some of the ebay offerings, but my current strop has showed me that looks can be deceiving.

I'm planning on making myself another bench strop (made a bunch for my knives a while ago, they're all nicked up now), i've got a 16" block of wood and a large flank of leather in my garage. I'm not sure how it'll turn out though.

Any suggestions are appreciated.