Quote Originally Posted by DaveW View Post
I may be the one person thinking this, but I do notice a difference in horse butt vs. a softer high draw cow leather.

But it's not on the first shave.

It's on how long the strop will keep the razor in shape. The harder the strop, the longer I've had luck keeping the razor off the hones. The longer the razor stays off the hones, the longer the razor lasts.

I have a kanayama in the closet...
It could be less the hardness of the particular strop & more the tanning process (silicates etc.) that makes the horsehide win out. I'm finding my horsebutt to work great for razors lasting, but even after 2 years of use, it's a bit stiff for my taste. Hard to feel what the razor is doing compared to softer, but it does work pretty well in spite of lack of feedback.

Very curious to know your thoughts on the Kanayama when you use yours. It's something I'll probably buy in a month or so.