Thread: thewiskeredbat strops on Ebay UK?

I've seen these strops on Ebay UK for a while and often wondered if they are any good as a first strop for someone starting out? They are cheap enough that if you nick them a few times its no great disaster.

They are made by a leather worker so aren't one of the imported cheap tat that floods the bay but equally that doesn't automatically mean they are any good.

Has anyone tried them, and if so what are your impressions?

i have bought leather, of different sizes,and made my own strops for far less that a pre-made one from this company and i doubt any could work significantly better. There is no need to pay exorbitant prices for perceived higher quality HTH

ian

Thanks Ian

My reason for asking was primarily to know if those ones are worth recommending to new members who just want a cheap and cheerful introduction to str8 shaving.

However I'm looking at making my own strop so your reply was probably more interesting!

May I ask did you mean you bought the leather from them? If not where did you get yours and did you put any treatment/conditioner on the leather when you made the strops?

Glad my reply was of use to you. Yes I bought 2 different thickness's of leather from them, both untreated, and used neets foot oil to treat them. I found that using a little at a time, letting the oil soak in, and deciding if it needed more and trial and error from there. If I used too much i'd cover it in newspaper and put weights on top to draw out any excess.

I have made 6 or more in this manner and have felt on the back of one with 1/4 micron diamond spray and another with chrome oxide another one to make a paddle etc the list goes on. At what you can buy a sizeable piece of leather for you can experiment to your hearts content knowing that if you do damage it when stropping it's not going to cost an arm and a leg to replace.
I'd defiantly recommend giving it a go yourself and you too can try different oxides or diamond paste/sprays without great expense

ian

Great! Thats precisely what I needed to know. My wife and kids are away for a week soon so plenty of time to myself to tinker!

Cool good to know i've managed to pass on something useful after all the sterling advice ive taken from this excellent forum

ian

The modular paddle that SRD sells is also a good option. If you nick the leather, you can purchase a replacement strip.