Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 21
Like Tree10Likes

Thread: The Superior Shave Horween shell cordovan strop

  1. #11
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Miami, FL
    Posts
    172
    Thanked: 16

    Default

    Jarrod at The Superior Shave website has an interesting writeup on the Horween shell cordovan strops. He says that they're only 1.4mm thick, which is significantly thinner than horsehide or cowhide. As to the delicate feel of the shell cordovan, he says that he has stropped 2,000 razors on his current Horween, and that it is as durable as a thicker horsehide or latigo. This addresses any concerns I have about durability. I'm still getting the feel for this strop, but I rank it as one of my 3 favorite stropping surfaces, with the other two being horsehide and the Tony Miller premium steerhide.

  2. #12
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    1,588
    Thanked: 286

    Default

    mine is the same very thin yet very strong i've been stropping religously on mine for a good year , and its still as new...
    earcutter likes this.

  3. #13
    lz6
    lz6 is offline
    Senior Moderator lz6's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    California
    Posts
    4,833
    Thanked: 1841

    Default

    Traskrom, the Superior Shave shop strop you pictured is without question genuine shell leather processed and given the cordovan finish by Horween. It is a bit on the thin side but that has absolutley no effect on the strop, it is perfectly strong and
    a superb strop. These are fairly rare and Jarrod gets them rarely and they are costly.
    earcutter likes this.
    Bob

    "God is a Havana smoker. I have seen his gray clouds" Gainsburg

  4. #14
    lobeless earcutter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    4,864
    Thanked: 762

    Default

    Not to derail too much - but how do you guys feel about the lack of D-rings? I haven't ever had a strop without some type of handle or another. Does it make for a smaller usible area?
    David

  5. #15
    Senior Member Traskrom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Moscow, Russia
    Posts
    590
    Thanked: 124

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by lz6 View Post
    Traskrom, the Superior Shave shop strop you pictured is without question genuine shell leather processed and given the cordovan finish by Horween. It is a bit on the thin side but that has absolutley no effect on the strop, it is perfectly strong and
    a superb strop. These are fairly rare and Jarrod gets them rarely and they are costly.
    Yea, I am pretty sure it is. I did my homework I've been looking for shell cordovan for more than a year. It is 2.35 mm thick at the end and 2.15 mm at the very top

  6. #16
    lz6
    lz6 is offline
    Senior Moderator lz6's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    California
    Posts
    4,833
    Thanked: 1841

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by earcutter View Post
    Not to derail too much - but how do you guys feel about the lack of D-rings? I haven't ever had a strop without some type of handle or another. Does it make for a smaller usible area?
    I have strops with leather handles, D rings and several plain end like my Kanayamas. On my plain end strops I slide the strop, with my thumb up, between my first and second fingers and then using my thumb roll the end of the strop over which helps
    me exert an even pressure and the strop which helps with even tension across the leather. A little less stropping area on some lengths obviously but better for the end of the strops with repeated use. Hope that made some sense. : )
    earcutter likes this.
    Bob

    "God is a Havana smoker. I have seen his gray clouds" Gainsburg

  7. #17
    lobeless earcutter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    4,864
    Thanked: 762

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by lz6 View Post
    I have strops with leather handles, D rings and several plain end like my Kanayamas. On my plain end strops I slide the strop, with my thumb up, between my first and second fingers and then using my thumb roll the end of the strop over which helps
    me exert an even pressure and the strop which helps with even tension across the leather. A little less stropping area on some lengths obviously but better for the end of the strops with repeated use. Hope that made some sense. : )
    LOL - hard to word hu, but yeah, it made sense lol. Thanks. Sounds like a bit of work to get used to, but not that big of a deal once there. Like anything I guess.

    One day
    David

  8. #18
    'tis but a scratch! roughkype's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Durango, Colorado
    Posts
    2,080
    Thanked: 443
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default

    On my 2" shell strop from The Superior Shave there is no handle, but I lay the leather on the linen back (which does have a handle of sorts) and hold the linen taut. There's so little draw that I don't need to hold the leather in any way. To me, that actually adds stropping surface, at the risk of running into my own hand.
    "These aren't the droids you're looking for." "These aren't the droids we're looking for." "He can go about his business." "You can go about your business."

  9. #19
    Senior Member blabbermouth
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    2,110
    Thanked: 458

    Default

    The commentary about the draw, I use a poor man's strop of horse butt strips. It was very stiff and abrasive when it was new, but it was cheap. It never has had any draw, and as far as draw goes, well, I don't get the draw (bad pun intended).

    Skipping over from cow leather and having just read Holtzapffel III's description of what makes a good razor strop, from back when people used them because they had to, the harder leathers make a better performing strop if maintenance of the edge is concerned. I don't remember the exact words, but the account in the book described softer leathers as being of little use.

    So I would worry about the quality of the surface and not the thickness. Shell will tear easily if you stretch it too far, but it's otherwise very tough. I can't see thickness being an issue as long as it's not too soft.

    After finally getting my plain horse butt strip worn in (I just cut a 28x3" piece out of 8/9 ounce strip that I got cheap off of ebay), it almost indefinitely keeps my razors honed, and the hardness makes it so that you can pull it fairly tight and use a decent amount of pressure once an edge is 2 or 3 weeks old and still get a fantastic edge off of the leather. The last go-around, I stretched an edge 55 shaves, and it was still sharp, but I got a new hone and I got the bug to try it.

    With my softer latigo strops, extra pressure is a no-go sort of thing, it might work once, but that's it. So the horse butt has little draw, but I don't know why I'd want it to. It has a shine on the surface now and it would be difficult to misuse it, even pressure wise, unless it's allowed to go slack.

  10. #20
    Senior Member blabbermouth
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Diamond Bar, CA
    Posts
    6,553
    Thanked: 3215

    Default

    Earcutter, know what you are saying about the rings. I like the D rings myself. Recently bought a Kanayama and really thought about it because of the lack of rings or handle. But I got used to it and love it, especially the brushed leather strop in place of linen, works great with CBN edges that are too fine for linen. I also make my own strops and find that 18 inches is all I really need.

    I tried to order a Horween shell cordovan and they were out, want one before he stops making them.

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •