Thread: cordovan shell strops

Back in the day a barber would never even think of taking a straight to someones face or even to trim some hair after a haircut unless the blade was stropped. So that shows you how important stropping is.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

there has been much talk on this thread about the draw, I would like to mention that I prefer a very light draw. But the most important thing to me is what the strop does to the edge, not the feedback.
Sure stropping on a light flexible 3 inch smooth strop with light draw is pleasant, but ultimately I care about the performance.

My original question is not about how cordovan shell horsehide strop feels. The question is if use of such strop makes for a superior edge over other types of leather.

Thanks again for advice

Dan

Originally Posted by danielghofrani

My original question is not about how cordovan shell horsehide strop feels. The question is if use of such strop makes for a superior edge over other types of leather.

IME horse, be it cordovan shell or 'regular' horse butt, gives a characteristically light draw. Latigo or bovine derived leathers give a more pronounced resistance or draw. My guess is you'll find guys use what they like the best, in terms of draw, and think they get the best results from whichever hide that strop came from, be it horse or bovine. I would venture that knowing how to strop to best advantage is more important than whether it is one hide or another ..... assuming it is a strop of decent quality and correct dimensions. Just IMHO.

Hi Dan,

The simple answer for me is that in my experience, yes, the cordovan shell strop gives my blades a better edge than either of my bovine strops.

As I've said many times, as long as the strop is quality it makes no difference the critter it comes from or the finishing they all do the same thing. I've seen no functional difference as far as the edge goes.

I base that claim on at one time having probably 30 or so strops including the kanayamara. They all feel different and look different but that's about it. probably if you pay a lot for one you think it should work better and you have the placebo effect. Maybe the differing feel. length, width and other things cause people to use them slightly different without them realizing it giving a different result but that's just a guess on my part.

What TBS said,amazing how much of this sport is purely mental.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

What TBS said,amazing how much of this sport is purely mental.

Well when you think about it we gotta be crazy to shave with the darn things!!

Strops be one of the items in the world i enjoy gathering up.
i got me a nice horse one once 20 bucks with other stuff.
what a deal it's still useable for razors. I also got a nice stone with
the deal. I don't even remmber what the other stuff was.

IME, and I have and use a variety of strops, including a Kanayama 90,000. They all do the job. I don't notice any difference in the shave. It's really your personal preference, What you like to use, What draw you like. These days, I'm liking the steerhide you mentioned or my SRD Premium 1. If you have the funds, and want to go for the Cordovan, go for it. If your looking for a dramatic difference in the edge, I don't think your going to see it imo. I agree with TBS.