Thread: Premium Strop Options

Just a quick question here, fellas...

Considering Kanayama strops are no longer available, Ambrose (I believe) has quit making strops, Tony Miller is on a break...apart from the venerable SRD, what premium strop choices are out there floating around that I may not have heard of?

Neil Miller has a line of strops in the UK that I hear great things about. IIRC Tony Miller is making strops again on a limited basis. HandAmerican seems to be out of it , as I've not heard anything of Keith lately. My go to daily driver is an SRD premium 1 and I've tried most of them, including the kanayama 90,000.

Ive seen some nice ones over at: The Superior Shave

He has Walkin' Horse Strops. Might even get to snag a shell cordovan one if you wait long enough.

+1 on the walking horse strops the leather comes from Horween. I love my horse butt and I have a English bridle with linen on the way in

I have not tried this strop but if you go to japanesenaturalstones.com and click straight razors and accessories you will see a cordovan strop made in japan.

Originally Posted by danielghofrani

I have not tried this strop but if you go to japanesenaturalstones.com and click straight razors and accessories you will see a cordovan strop made in japan.

The strop you are seeing on your reference site is a Kanayama strop. And, I am not sure Kanayama is no longer making strops but we do know that certain of their strops are no longer available through a source most of us are aware of. "Kanayama" has perhaps a dozen " brand names" on their strops and they are available at several places.
Neil Miller constructs some of finest strops you will ever lay your eyes on and is a superb resource.
SRD has, in my mind, the largest selection of strop leathers you will find in one place at very, very fair prices. SRD's in paddle form and hanging strops are my day to day workhorses.

Originally Posted by lz6

The strop you are seeing on your reference site is a Kanayama strop. And, I am not sure Kanayama is no longer making strops but we do know that certain of their strops are no longer available through a source most of us are aware of. "Kanayama" has perhaps a dozen " brand names" on their strops and they are available at several places.
Neil Miller constructs some of finest strops you will ever lay your eyes on and is a superb resource.
SRD has, in my mind, the largest selection of strop leathers you will find in one place at very, very fair prices. SRD's in paddle form and hanging strops are my day to day workhorses.

I believe the Kanayama linked to is "out of stock"...and yes, it sounds like he is still making them, but according to this it would be hard to find them now and might not be worth the money if you did. I just looked on the website and Neil's strops are absolutely gorgeous...I will have to file that away for when I really want to go nuts and indulge. right now...for the money...I think an SRD modular paddle is going to be the way to go for me.

The difference between paddle srops and hanging strops is noteworthy. I recommend a hanging strop. Neil Miller should be considered! JMHO

Originally Posted by sharptonn

The difference between paddle srops and hanging strops is noteworthy. I recommend a hanging strop. Neil Miller should be considered! JMHO

oh, a neil miller strop is in my future...don't you worry. but for the time being, considering current fund availability...many of them being sold out on his site...

i've always wanted to try a paddle strop (yes, i'm aware it's a totally different experience), so the SRD modular paddle seems like a lot of fun to play with for a good price. the neil miller strop may have wait until may when my loved ones just can't figure out what to get me for my birthday

Call me jaded, but I have yet to see a newly made strop and linen that compares with an old high quality strop and linen. Most of the leather I have seen is too thin, as is the linen.

What I did is purchase some old style strop hardware with screw clamp, just like the original antique strops, and selected a good piece of cowhide and added an old thick linen that I had left over from an antique strap that fell apart do to age. That tops anything I have seen offered by current manufacture and from the cost of one or two newly manufactured strops, you can buy enough cowhide or horsehide to make a half dozen to a dozen strops. But it's not as quick as just buying one from someone else.