Leather Types

I'm new to strops. I've only got one and its cheap (and it isn't that great, but I have no other experience to base it against). Let's start there. I have been looking at the Illinois 827 strop lately. As such, I was comparing it to the Illinois 127 to see what the differences were, if any. From what I can tell the only difference is that the 827 costs around 5-8 bucks more and is made of "Imperial" leather instead of what ever type of leather that the company usually uses.

This made me wonder - what is "Imperial" supposed to mean? That got me thinking about other strops I have seen advertised and all the fancy types of leather that they are made of. "English bridle?" "Latigo?" Realistically, aren't they all cowhide, with the exception of maybe some horsehide? Furthermore, does my razor's edge know the difference?

Now I'm not trying to suggest that all leather is the same, and I'm guessing that a cheap, pressed with glue leather strop wouldn't work as well as a top of the line strop made of exotic Ethiopian water buffalo, but are there really functional differences between different types of leather as long as they originate from reputable vendors? If so, what have you used that worked well (e.g. is the expensive "English bridle" really worth it?)

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Originally Posted by mrbison

...a top of the line strop made of exotic Ethiopian water buffalo,

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Do tell where one could acquire such an interesting strop, as I have boring cow and horsehide strops.:roflmao I don't mean to be a smartA**, as I have no experience with the Illinois strops. Sorry I can't help with what the "Imperial" leather is or what part of the cow/horse it comes from. I used a latigo strop for my first year and just recently started using the English Bridle. The most notable difference is in the draw while stropping. Functionally, the edge seems to feel the same while shaving. So I guess it comes down to personal preference and budget. There are a few members/vendors here that offer entry level strops at reasonable rates that will get the job done. So the best advice is to find something that you like and fits your budget.

P.S. The English Bridle will seem like a steal when you price the Kanayama strops.:)

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Originally Posted by ReardenSteel

Do tell where one could acquire such an interesting strop, as I have boring cow and horsehide strops.:roflmao

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You know I was kind of kidding when I wrote that but I'm pretty sure now that you CAN actually get water buffalo in a strop.... (BTW I'm not mocking anyone's choice in leathers whether they are exotic or otherwise - diversity is the spice of life after all)
Getting back to my question though, I know that the leathers you listed are a good quality but what IS "Latigo"? What acutally IS "English Bridle"? Since it all comes from cowhide it must be a difference in preparation of the leather....

It's all the finish that is used which changes the physical characteristics of the strop and appearance.

At one time when I started this thing I had it in my mind to acquire strops from every conceivable critter and I had them all. I found they all worked the same whether camel, deer, elk, seal cow, horse and on and on. I gave most of them away.

Yes they feel different when you use them but as long as they are quality they all work the same.

While it is important the type of leather and finish applied to the leather initially, in my opinion it is equally important what you do to the leather after "manufacture."

I have seen some cheap strops that seemed to be unusable. But, with some work with oil and conditioner and the flat side of a coffee cup and some break in stropping, even those strops became usable.

I have a Dubl Duck strop that is a work of art, but I never use it. Whoever used it before turned it into slick rubber with no draw. (I believe I could bring it back to good use, but just haven't)

If you choose the English Bridle, you won't be sorry. I have 4, 3 of which I made. It's my understanding that Latigo is treated with some sort of waxy substance. I have a red latigo and it definitely has a waxy surface. I don't think it has as much draw as advertised.

If I was choosing an Illinois type strop, I would go with horse butt leather. You will never wear that one out...........

So English Bridle is generally softer/ smoother than Latigo?

can we touch back on what it means to break in a strop? oil, coniditioning, and working it.. what does that mean, and what are we trying to acheive?

No different than breaking in any leather product whether a strop or a jacket or a pair of shoes. it takes some use to do it. That can be accelerated by using oil or conditioner or a rolling pin or bottle.

When I started this thing I used to fret over breaking in strops but unless one is really like cardboard stiff I just don't worry about it and it works itself out fine.

I picked up a vintage Liberty Laboratories Horse Shell (Butt) leather strop from e-bay that was dry as all get out. The outer surface of the leather was shiny smooth and hard, giving a slick feel like that of a polished leather shoe. After applying a great deal of Neatsfoot oil (to the back side) it's softened up and has a velvet feel to it. Almost a slight stickiness to it, but not enough to call it sticky.

I picked up a vintage Shumate Strop this weekend that says it's Horse Hide (Shell/Butt? I don't know). The side that says "Sharpen on this side" is textured and almost looks like old seat belt webbing. I haven't done a thing to it (and I think it could use a little oil...though not near as dried out as the Liberty strop), and it has a very similar velvet feel to it. The difference being there's no hint of stickiness to it at all...more of a dry soft feeling.

Unfortunately I cannot yet speak to the stropping powers of either of this strops, but for collective input this is what I'm looking at.