whats the difference?

[socalkid]

Hello,

Im buying my strop from SRD but what are the differences between Roo, horse hide, buffalo, and English bridle? Is one material better then the others? Is one better for a beginner then the others? Should I buy an extra strop replacement piece of leather to use with paste or can I use the backside of the leather that comes with it? SRD has 5 different sprays (4 diamond and 1 Chromium Oxide) and 1 Chromium Oxide paste. What would you guys recommend to help maintain my edge?

Thanks a lot,

Chris

[FacialDirt]

Cant tell you the difference between the different materials as to how they perform. However, I can tell you to save your money until down the road and start by just using the oils from your hands to oil your strop. Once you paste it, you need to always have it pasted.
Make sure you don't wash your hands first, though, as it defeats the purpose. Try to rub it with your hands and get it warm a couple times a day. The strop will be perfect within a couple months and no paste is ever needed...
Or you can go the paste route. Your choice in the end.
A good beginner strop, I'm told is the "Filly" from RupRazor. Go cheap on the first one since I promise it will get nicked up pretty good!
You can even get some 1000 grit sand paper to very lightly rub out the nicks when they occur. Just remember to rub out all of the leftover grit with you hand afterwards so it won't kill your edge! Just read that someone uses a microfiber to get that leftover out after rubbing with their hands. Anyway...
The Filly is around $22 and not a bad strop to learn on. Good luck and welcome to SRP.
-Dan

[mainaman]

The main difference would be draw, just give SRD a call and ask them they will explain the differences best.

[thebigspendur]

Performance wise they all do the same thing. It's a matter of price, cosmetics, feel, thickness, workmanship and accessories. That's where they differ. For paste I would buy a dedicated strop for that.

[Bill S]

I think the advice to go to the source for info is the right advice. Few of us have used all the options enough to render a complete comparison but Don and Lynn have.

Starting with a cheap strop was probably a good idea at some point in time but I don't think it still is. Replacement leather starts at $25 from SRD so why not get a good strop and if you really ruin the stropping surface just get a replacement leather element? BTW, I nicked up my first strop pretty good but it's still usable. Practice with a butter knife or a really dull razor and be careful and you should avoid the worst kind if damage to your strop.