The dreaded GB Buckingham and Sons - Strop

Hey guys-

First real post, and obvious noob to straight razor shaving, as I was taken by GB Buckingham. I got the pakka wood razor and strop in a set. I know about how terrible the razor is from some research (and I got it as a gift, which makes it all the worse), but I'm interested in your guys' thoughts on the strop.

So is the strop good enough? Like I said, I'm new to this, so I'm not looking for the best strop around, just something that is functional enough as I get started.

Thanks guys!

-toadq5

I would bet money on the strop being junk just as the razors. Spend the $30 or so for a good strop, it's the last thing that the edge touches before your face every time.

+1 Stropping IMHO as a newbie is the biggest challenge to a great second shave. It is a skill which takes practice and some time to get right so you might as well have a good tool. It doesn't cost a lot to have a good strop.

Here's my take on this. I agree with the posts above for a good razor, but I think you could practise stropping on it with the razor you received as a gift. It won't be perfect because to really know how good your doing with stropping until you are shaving your face with it, but you will start to get the motion down anyway.

Awesome, thanks for all the input guys. I'll look for a good strop as well as a shave ready razor from the classifieds here. My endeavor into shaving has hit a couple snags due to GW Buckingham, but at least I'm on the right path! And good idea Cove, I think I'll use the razor and strop as practice to start building some muscle memory before I get into the real thing. Thanks much guys!