Thread: Need help picking out my first strop

Hello. this is my first time posting in here and im very excited to start shaving with a straight razor. I recently purchased a straight razor and now im looking for a way to sharpen it. If anyone can please recommend a strop i would greatly appreciate it. Here is the the straight razor i have....The Art of Shaving - Straight Razors - Stainless Steel Straight Razor

The blade measure a little over 2 1/2"
Carbon steel blade

Depends on what you want to pay. In terms going from least to most expensive you have latigo, bridle, horsebutt, and shell cordovan. Id start with a latigo just cause you'll be out the least amount of money and wont be quite so mad if you nick it when starting out.

Originally Posted by MBradshaw

Depends on what you want to pay. In terms going from least to most expensive you have latigo, bridle, horsebutt, and shell cordovan. Id start with a latigo just cause you'll be out the least amount of money and wont be quite so mad if you nick it when starting out.

Thanks. is there a specific latigo strop brand i should go with?

Not that I know of. Did you buy your razor from Art of Shaving? PM me your phone number and we can chat for a bit.

I have the strop that MBrad mentions... it's nice.

Also gotta put in a plug for Larry at whippeddog.com. His kit won't set you back as much, and when you upgrade it'll do well with pastes.

Originally Posted by djphaze

Hello. this is my first time posting in here and im very excited to start shaving with a straight razor. I recently purchased a straight razor and now im looking for a way to sharpen it. If anyone can please recommend a strop i would greatly appreciate it. Here is the the straight razor i have....The Art of Shaving - Straight Razors - Stainless Steel Straight Razor

The blade measure a little over 2 1/2"
Carbon steel blade

First off my friend, welcome to SRP!

Now, lets get into a few things...you will need to have that razor honed as the ad you provided the link to does not make mention that it is shave ready...meaning it's only knife sharp most likely. A Thiers Issard razor is a good one. I just hate it that The Art of Shaving (TAOS) doesn't even know what they are selling, stainless blade or carbon steel. Look at the strop referenced at Straight Razor Designs, you cannot go wrong with anything purchased from them as they KNOW their razor stuff. Any razor purchased from them is honed. I can go on and on, but what TAOS does for our sport is good as they have a huge advertising budget.

A strop doesn't sharpen a blade. Stay away from pastes and sprays for now, you need to learn the basics first. They have their place, but aren't a cure-all. The only to sharpen a new blade to shave ready is to have it honed on the proper stones by a knowledgeable honer. Check the classifieds, there are several guys who offer their services.

If you are anywhere near my region, you are welcome to come by...I have a couple guys coming by the house this coming tuesday for honing lessons. I could hone up your blade and help to get you on your way to a proper shave.

Put your location in so you can be mentored. Use your city or town, even one nearby, and state/country. You don't need a "badged" mentor to teach you something, but face to face mentoring will help you exponentially compared to learning on your own.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

First off my friend, welcome to SRP!

Now, lets get into a few things...you will need to have that razor honed as the ad you provided the link to does not make mention that it is shave ready...meaning it's only knife sharp most likely. A Thiers Issard razor is a good one. I just hate it that The Art of Shaving (TAOS) doesn't even know what they are selling, stainless blade or carbon steel. Look at the strop referenced at Straight Razor Designs, you cannot go wrong with anything purchased from them as they KNOW their razor stuff. Any razor purchased from them is honed. I can go on and on, but what TAOS does for our sport is good as they have a huge advertising budget.

A strop doesn't sharpen a blade. Stay away from pastes and sprays for now, you need to learn the basics first. They have their place, but aren't a cure-all. The only to sharpen a new blade to shave ready is to have it honed on the proper stones by a knowledgeable honer. Check the classifieds, there are several guys who offer their services.

If you are anywhere near my region, you are welcome to come by...I have a couple guys coming by the house this coming tuesday for honing lessons. I could hone up your blade and help to get you on your way to a proper shave.

Put your location in so you can be mentored. Use your city or town, even one nearby, and state/country. You don't need a "badged" mentor to teach you something, but face to face mentoring will help you exponentially compared to learning on your own.

Thank you! And here i thought all along when using the strop was a way to sharpen the razor. lol. Thanks for the correction and the information. Ok so now im off in looking to get my razor honed. ill check around my area and see if i can fine someone. I stay in southern CA. How do i know they know how to hone it professionally? I found someone in my area who does this. Going to give them a call later and see what they say.

Heres his link from the classifieds.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...437687018.html

Take your pick, chances are, you will choose a honemeister. On your question, I would answer, buy a wide leather belt, learn the movements, cut it as much as you want (they are not as bad as you think for stropping), and when you learn the basics after couple of months, go for a horsehide.

All this is great advice. There are people that are KNOWN to put edges on blades here advertised on this website. You first blade and shave need to be with a sharp razor. My first one was not. First impressions are very important in this sport.
My advice.
1. Send it to a respected honemiester or meet up with one from this site that has a proven track record so you know you are sharp.
2 . Buy a practice strop $15-$20 this will save your "real" strop. First then get a latigo.
3. Read everything you can on here.

Welcome to your new addiction!

Originally Posted by Vasilis

Take your pick, chances are, you will choose a honemeister. On your question, I would answer, buy a wide leather belt, learn the movements, cut it as much as you want (they are not as bad as you think for stropping), and when you learn the basics after couple of months, go for a horsehide.

Thanks for your help.