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I purchased a nice leather/linen backed 3" wide "Big Daddy" strop from Star Shaving Supplies and was told by one honemeister that it's too wide to easily control while stroping.Here's the link:
Leather Straight Razor Strop "Big Daddy" 3"w Burgundy 1 Bridle Made in USA | eBay
Thanx for any feedback-Gearhead222
It is a matter for preference and what you get used to. I happen to like 2 1/2" because that is what I broke in on but I have 3" strops and they are fine. Some guys like 2". I've never used one that narrow and I tend to think it is too narrow but guys that use them say they work fine. Just practice and start slow and you should be fine.
I'm a fan of the 3". It doesn't require x strokes, which I found tedious when learning, and haven't used anything but a 3" since. But, as Jimmy said, it's a preference thing and a lot of guys like the 2 & 2.5".
Here's a link to Lynn demonstrating and talking about strops, including 3" preference. http://straightrazorpalace.com/video...ing-video.html
Good Luck!!
Regards,
Howard :)
for some reason a 21/2 just didnt work for me , it kept feeling like my hold was almost twisting it and not making it a flat surface .. although i was getting used to it i ended up getting a 3" and i couldnt be happier with my choice !!!!
My head is swimming with details! If I tilt it, all of the straight razor info will leak out!;) Was just informed that the Dovo 193-45002 Linen/Russian leather strop is the one to buy, as the linen is pre treated. Supposedly it retails for around $120.00, but I noticed that Royal Shave has a Dovo Leather/Linen model that measures 17 3/4" long with a padded leather handle for around $112.00. Not sure if this is the same one nor what width it is. Is cupping a problem with the 3": wide models? Thought that they'd be easier to use, as no X pattern required on the 3" models, correct? Has anybody used the Big Daddy model that sells for around $38.00 on EBay and sold by Star Shaving Supplies? Again, thanx for your help:)-Gearhead222.
Thanx, Sir Stropalot! Great info!:)
The width of the strop is something you have to decide for yourself since it is after all your strop. As long as there's no cupping of the strop and it remains flat, you should be fine.
That is WAY too wide. You should send it to me as soon as possible, before something bad happens. I'll make sure it's put to good use - I mean, disposed of, properly, of course. It's OK, I've dealt with this sort of thing before.
Gentlemen, a 3" strop is as easy to control as a 2" strop. Actually, I have never heard of a 3" strop being difficult to control. My preference is for the 2.5 strop, although I have had 3" strops and no problem stropping.
Started with a 3 inch and stayed with it. It is my only strop and I see no need for another. It is a bridle leather/hard felt combo. Had I started with a different size I might still have that as an only strop. I think you just get used to whatever size you use and the rest is personal preference.
Bob
Honemeister is a vastly overrated / devalued term.
Seems like these days anyone who can rub a razor to a rock is a honemeister :)
Unless it is one of a few seniors, said honemeister might not be doing this hobby much longer than you. I've been doing this for quite a while now, and I wouldn't call myself that, even though I know that I can hone pretty much anything to the point where it is shaveready.
Btw, it is a dirty little secret that a good number of 'honemeisters' send someone else's razor on to an actual expert if it needs more than just a quick bevel reset / touchup. They won't tell you of course. And they'd rather pay someone else than admit they can't actually hone problematic razors. Honemeister is the new snakeoil.
Anyway, 3" strops work perfectly fine. I have a 3" SRD strop, and it's been doing fine for more than a year now. Still flat, still doesn't cup. No problems with it. And a good 2" strop would work fine as well. The only difference is that crappy 3" strops are much worse than crappy 2" strops because crappy strops deform, and with increased width comes increaded deformity.
Now that depends what you're gonna use the piece of leather for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Obie
What most others said. Once you learn how to use a strop properly the size doesn't matter.
Well, my friend, the best use I have found for the piece of leather on my strop is to massage my straight razor blade into a state of rapture.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
I have both and enjoy them equally. With a razor that isn't perfectly flat however, I prefer the narrower strop, it is easier for me to ensure that the entire edge is in good contact with the leather.
I have read before that size doesn't matter-it's how you use it that counts;) Seriously though, I received some excellent advice from you guys, plus Max, and decided to ordered a handmade 2.5" strop with Linen back from The Well Shaved Gentleman. WSG is nice enough to recommend buying a practice strop, which I did. Also have the 3" Big Daddy coming in from Star Shaving Supplies and ordered some Dovo white and yellow paste for the Linen and Steerhide, respectively, from The Superior Shave. Ordered some Kohls yellow band abrasive past, but not sure what to use that on! FWIW, I have sharpened scissors, machetes, knives , hatchets and axes, but straight razors are a whole 'nother world!-Gearhead222
At the risk of being redundant, I too use several different size strops, 2", 2 1/2" and 3".
Different strokes, right...
I am partial to SRD's Premium 1, It's a real nice piece of leather, and it happens to be 3". I also enjoy Tony Miller's 2 1/2 Horse, which I really like too. It seems I'm liking less and less draw these days.
I do like the fact that SRD has replacement leather for their strops. Even the most experienced user can have a bad day.
Definitely recommend the 3" strop to a beginner so he doesn't have to learn the X pattern. The "straight" back and forth pattern is hard enough to learn.Quote:
Originally Posted by SirStropalot
This is my opinion and only that. X strokes are desirable in stropping as in honing. Does anyone wonder why hones are not made in 3 inch widths for razors? In like mindedness, does anyone wonder why 3 inch strops are a fairly new phenonenom after centuries of more narrow strops being standard? Laziness or fear of using proper technique is no reason to straight strop a razor, regardless of width of strop. So many shapes and curvatures of bevels, yet a 3 inch strop cures all?
I detract from this train of thought. Again, JMHO. YMMV
Tom
I have many strops from 2 in. to 3,can use them all,but my daily is a 3 in. pegasus.
But I always use an X-stroke because it is the natural thing to do,seems a no brainer.
To answer your question, I do not think 3" strops are to wide.
I have 2 1/2 and 3 strops that I use with the x stroke.
Thanx again, guys! Great forum!-Gearhead222
1.Nobody makes a hone just for a razor anymore.2.My Norton 4/8 is 3inch in width as are many other sythetic hones.Quote:
Originally Posted by sharptonn
Yes, we must remember that Nortons,etc were made to sharpen tools and knives. Still, "straight honing" of a razor will not work, either! In the days when hones were made strictly for razors, none were wider than the blade of a razor, as were strops. It was simply a waste of material since razors need to be honed and stropped with an x-pattern.Quote:
Originally Posted by Edwardd
Again, YMMV
It should not be to wide..I mean if you learned doing a straight back and forth the 3 is perfect. If you learned on a narrow one then the x stroke is for you...you can still do an x on a 3..
it is just what you learn on...
The size should not make a difference.
Thanx again, guys! I have a 2.5 and 3" incoming , along with a practice strop:)
I prefer a 3 inch strop. I haven't had any cupping problems with any of mine.
Thanx again guys!:)