Advice on follow on strop. Illinois and mountain mike

[tekbow]

Hey guys,

So i feel the time has come to upgrade my strop. I got a basic dovo strop from steve at invisible edge in the uk as part of my starter kit (great value, thanks steve), now that was around 2 to 3 months ago, and the razor included in the kit saw A LOT of use for the first 6 weeks (everyday 2 to 3 passes). Add to that the fact that i was learning (and am still perfecting) stropping and you have a recipe for a razor that's starting to get tired.

So I want to retire my dovo to become a pasted strop (CrO2) and get a linen/leather combo strop, as I'm hoping this combo will maximise the amount of time between honings (which i'm intimidated by tbh).

So, what I don't want to do is buy a tony miller or invisible edge handmade strop because as i say, my technique still needs refinement. Hands up, i still nick my strop once in a while (usually a flap) generally because i think i've got the technique and start going after speed.. I want to get something a little cheaper that i'm not going to feel quite as bad about if i nick them once in a while.

I was looking at Illinois strops and mountain mike strops. If i buy from the US, they're cheap enough that i won't have to pay customs charges on them. Mountain mike are available here but the markup is ridiculous.

Thoughts on these 2 makers? they look solid, well made, and do not look like they cost what they do. plus they all seem to have a linen component for the same price my dovo cost.

Looking for a 2.5 to 3" which they both seem to do, and they also seem quite long as well

Edit: Having searched the forums I've also found starshaving.com. Thoughts on these strops also?

[Maxi]

Maybe buying the high end strop will cause you to slow down a bit and keep from nicking your strop??

Just a thought...

My first nicks were because of speed....I thought I was cool. Like a new 16 year old driver and a gas pedal.

Now I know better.

[d. m. ellington]

For your situation I would reccomend the Illinois Model 361.

[PaulKidd]

I've had an Illinois 827 for 30 years. It's a good strop. It got water damaged
in a cyclone last year, so I sanded it off, flipped the linen side over, and
put it back in service pasted with CeOx. It's still working well.

I replaced the 827 for everyday use with a 3" Mountain Mike latigo strop. It's
long and heavy, and the leather has a nice finish. The "linen" side isn't linen:
its some sort of woven synthetic, but it works well, even though the weave
isn't as fine as the 827 linen. Over all, it's a well made, substantial strop.

My only complaint about the Mountain Mike strop is that the Chicago screws
loosened up early on, and I lost a couple of them before I realized what was
happening. I solved the problem by putting a drop of Loktite on each screw
and there has been no further trouble.

I expect that the Mountain Mike strop will give years of good service, as did
the Illinois 827. I don't think that you can go wrong with either one.

I also have a 3" kangeroo hide strop, made by a member here, MickR.
It has more draw than the latigo, which I like, and it's very light and
flexible. It's an excellent travel strop because it can be rolled up without
suffering any damage. Roo hide is tough stuff. I like it alot.

Good luck.

Paul

[gssixgun]

I have nothing but good to say about the #827...

My personal everyday strop is a SRD Premium #1,,,

But my workhorse strop for after honing is a #827 I have used these strops for 1000's of razors... Personally I really love the linen component on them...

[tekbow]

Hey guys thanks for that, good advice as always here.

My thoughts on whats been suggested so far are that I'd really like something with a handle, which the 361 doesn't have, and having searched a little, the 827 has been commented on as being a little rough cut? almost like an "inbetween" stage strop (I'm paraphrasing something tony miller wrote about the 827). I've seen #127 which is 2.5", has a handle and is smoother, Any opinions on this one?

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...827-strop.html

I'm maybe over thinking this, or being too choosy, basically i want to upgrade to an "everyday use", good quality strop with linen component. illinois seems to be a good bet for this. I have 3 other razors that are fairly fresh to take care of as well as the tired one i want to freshen up.