Strops on eBay? How to separate the good from the bad

So I'm looking to buy my first strop and eBay seems to have a pretty wide range of things, I know not all strops are created equally but with that said, how do you guys recommend I go about separating the ones that will get the job done from ones that'll ruin my razor.

Note: I'm a student (pronounced "poor" haha) and eBay appears to be the cheapest source for strops, if you guys have a suggestion or a place I can get a good strop cheaper I'm all ears

Any suggestions would be immensely appreciated

Illinois, jemico, and the seller starshavingsupplies should give you a decent start
(this is for new only)
There is other good strops out there. But those are hard to find sinse 99+% of ebay strops are considered garbage bag stuffing

Not the answer your looking for but stay away from the eBay ones and use you leather belt until you feel comfortable stropping, and save up for a nice one.

Please buy a new strop from a reputable vendor.

I haven't used this site but members on these forms sometimes recommend this for the shaver on a budget:

Whipped Dog Straight Razor Sales

Unless there are really good photos and you know what you are looking for stay away from Eboy. True, you can get a great strop for little money but you could also get junk. You can get a brand new piece from many of the vendors here for a very reasonable amount and you know it will be a quality piece you will have for a very long time.

yes, you can't tell the good from the bad. if you have enough money to invest you can learn by experience, but if you're just trying to save money you should buy a proven strop.

Even with good pics you can still lose on ebay. Trust me.

This would be an excellent place to start.

Straight Razor Strops - Knifecenter.com

usually if they sell cheap on ebay they are cheap. Star shaving is a good one for a strop on the cheap. Ive got his 2" and the 3" one and both are good if you can afford a high dollar strop or are just learning.

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Originally Posted by MrRyder

I haven't used this site but members on these forms sometimes recommend this for the shaver on a budget:

Whipped Dog Straight Razor Sales

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I have Whipped Dog's "Poor Man's Strop Kit". It's perfectly adequate, and hard to beat for $19.

The leather strop isn't huge or fancy, but it's smooth and works well. The balsa pasted strop (2 grits) will do a good job on "almost shave-ready" edges.

Charles

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Originally Posted by simpleman

usually if they sell cheap on ebay they are cheap. Star shaving is a good one for a strop on the cheap. Ive got his 2" and the 3" one and both are good if you can afford a high dollar strop or are just learning.

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Agree with the Star Shaving suggestion. They say you'll dink up your first strop, so go good and cheap. I like mine.

Vinatge Blades sells good strops that don't cost that much. $44 for a 2" latigo strop. I think that's a good deal. Dovo also sells good strops. With eBay it's hit or miss, mostly miss.

Just buy a strop from an online store you trust, it's much less risk and way nicer quality anyway.

SRD ones are veryyyyy nice indeed.
There also Ambrose on B&B who makes strops now too.

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Originally Posted by Disburden

There also Ambrose on B&B who makes strops now too.

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Yes Ambrose strops sertainly look good
Dont confuce B&B(badger & blade) with barber & beauty(B&B) sinse the latter one makes garbage bag stuffing

Hasibb7

Please check your PM (Personal Messages)!! I think that you will find it very informative!

+1 on StarShaving. I have the 3' latigo and with some break in its almost as nice as my SRD. It's a very long/wide strop for the money. Granted when I got it I had to sand the surface down a bit and use some Neatsfoot oil on it, but after a little work its very nice now.

The vendor is a great guy, and very helpful if your new and have questions. Plus shipping is fast, and when I got a bum Golden Dollar razor (weird hump on the shoulder so it would not lay flat on a hone) he replaced it in 3 days no questions asked.

My SRD is still nicer even after the work, but its close, and your going to mangle the first one...at least I did. I thought ahead when I got my SRD though, and picked up a horse hide replacement leather, so I have two great (and very different) strops now. Also its worth noting that the handle on my SRD is much more visually appealing. I think I prefer the feel of a D ring, but when people see my bathroom I'd rather have a handle strop on display.

Just expect to nick your stop a bit, and pick up some sandpaper ahead of time. Its not hard to repair minor damage.

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Originally Posted by gugi

yes, you can't tell the good from the bad. if you have enough money to invest you can learn by experience, but if you're just trying to save money you should buy a proven strop.

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Or in my case, I was just curious. I'm now the proud and USPS awaiting owner of a Tiger Shark strop. What can I say, I feel like experimenting.

I ordered the Big Mama from Starshaving on Ebay. I love it. It is not a fancy strop but it has a great draw and reasonably priced. Large enough to do a great job. For less than $30 shipped I was really impressed.

Shave on, RR Mike

Hey guys, dont forget the Filly!

RupRazor - The Filly

This is my first proper strop and a nice bit of kit. Comes pasted on the backside too.

Agree with the starshaving.com suggestion: they have very serviceable inexpensive strops. I got a big daddy (the width is good for a noobie) and it's pretty good. There are other reviews of the strop on this site too.

I just purchased two big mama from starshaving after ordered two others from Ebay (too short to strop when attached to a over-the-door hook with the length of 12"). Really not a very good place to buy serious stuff.

Just another recommendation for starshaving. I've had the big Daddy for around 6 mos, it durable, and with a little sandpaper and neats foot oil it been very forgiving to my newbie stropping technique. I've since upgraded to SRD strop but I continue to use the Big Daddy on a regular basis. I'm tempted to buy his newer latigo strop, it looks great !

If you felt the need to sand and oil your new strop, then you did NOT get a good strop.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

If you felt the need to sand and oil your new strop, then you did NOT get a good strop.

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I had to sand it because of all the nicks, small slices, and gouges caused to by my poor stropping skills.

I got in a 3" wide Big Daddy in the TAN leather. Very, very nice. I can hook it on an eyelet I put in the bathroom wall. Plyable and nice "felt" on the other side.
Definitely good piece of leather.

Here is the link: http://shop.starshaving.com/3-Big-Da...Strop-0003.htm

Treat yourself to a great start and look into the Strop Shop at SRD. You absolutely cannot go wrong. Great vendor. Great products. A relationship that you can count, and build on. You will not regret it.

Are you kidding? When I look at the strops offered on Ebay they look like they have been through WW-III! I definitely ignore any strop offerings there. My opinion, buy a good strop from someone who makes them professionally. Avoid the cheapies, good strops are $75 to $125 each and very worth spending the money on. Most other solutions you may be asking for trouble, why make it tougher than it has to be? I learned the hard way in this regard.
I currently own four strops from SRD and two from Tony Miller, they are very nice and have different surfaces to work with. There is a great deal of difference in materials and how they work on the blade. It's fun to see what makes the best edge on any given razor. Quality is important, skimping on the strop is a stumbling block to a nice shave in my opinion.

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Originally Posted by hasibb7

So I'm looking to buy my first strop and eBay seems to have a pretty wide range of things, I know not all strops are created equally but with that said, how do you guys recommend I go about separating the ones that will get the job done from ones that'll ruin my razor.

Note: I'm a student (pronounced "poor" haha) and eBay appears to be the cheapest source for strops, if you guys have a suggestion or a place I can get a good strop cheaper I'm all ears

Any suggestions would be immensely appreciated

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I know your situation! Find a nice decent well made strop by someone that likes to work leather. Nice thing about the one I have, made by Star Shaving.com is he makes them himself and made takes pride in them. Nice leathers and good felt secondary strop without breaking the bank. I grew up on a ranch where there was but one strop for all the years I watched them shave with their straights. Vendors here have nice strops, but so do a lot of other fine folks. You might even find the one from Starshaving.com on ebay, but it is just as easy to order from their website and being in Oklahoma, it's about central to the U.S. for shipping.

Don't even think about getting one on ebay, i made a big mistake of getting a "great deal" on a beauty and barber razor and strop for $20. IF you want a descent one look at the filly strop, or the poor mans strop at wippeddog.com. Yes they are cheap but the work, and if you cut your strop it won't be dramatic, when your starting off you want to be cheap and descent quality.

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Originally Posted by Zargart

Don't even think about getting one on ebay, i made a big mistake of getting a "great deal" on a beauty and barber razor and strop for $20. IF you want a descent one look at the filly strop, or the poor mans strop at wippeddog.com. Yes they are cheap but the work, and if you cut your strop it won't be dramatic, when your starting off you want to be cheap and descent quality.

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Me too - and I was silly enough to buy another razor off them!!