Thread: Strop question: mechanical strops for straight razors

Wondering if anybody here has experience with mechanical strops (like the Kanner Slyde Stroke) -- and if so, how they compare to regular leather strops. Do they do a better job generally? Worse? About equal?

They seem to have a little collectible value aside from the more obvious use - what does one look for in a straight-razor compatible mechanical strop? Are there any new ones currently being manufactured, or is it strictly a vintage market? What is the gold standard in mechanical strops, or some of the other good name brands?

Have to say I am more than curious about the subject, thanks for any help -

Dan

There are no mechanical strops being produced today and probably the last one produced was over 60 years ago. They come up every now and then as a curiosity and usually the leather part needs replacing to be serviceable. Here I'm talking about the ones that roll up which I guess aren't really mechanical. The pure mechanical ones go back to the 1930s and before and rarely come up. I know no one around here who has ever used one. They are more collectibles.

if these contraptions worked they would have become popular but never did so that should tell you something.