Thread: Too expensive strops

Originally Posted by honedright

I question what constitutes a "High end" strop. Just because a strop looks good is no predictor, to me, of performance. Nor is price.

High end traditionally indicates high price. Think Illinois vs Kanayama.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

High end traditionally indicates high price. Think Illinois vs Kanayama.

Exactly. And for a fraction of the price, my Illinois strop gets my razor keen enough for an excellent shave. I can't imagine that a Kanayama for a much higher price would do that much better proportional to the added cost. I've used cordovan strops and they are great, but I don't think that they are that great. So if "High end," when talking strops, just means more money, but essentially same results, why not just save the money.

This thread reminds me of my father who always gave me crap for buying expensive watches. He would say my Timex keeps the same time as your pricey trinkets. But I got the last laugh when he passed away I buried him wearing my Tag Heuer.

I agree with what seems to be the trend stated in the above posts. Of course, whatever gets your razor there is sufficient. But there are other things to consider. I make strops to echo the strops of the past. If something worked well way back then, then why fix it - it's not broken.

Of course there are cheaper strops available, and they will do the job - that is a good metaphore for everyday life, You end up buying a thing that does its job at a price you can afford. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I buy something for a specific purpose that is very cheap and doesn't perform as expected, I get irritated both by the product and by myself. However, if the price is not unrealistic i feel that I have been mis-sold, so I always take note of the sales blurb.

In an earlier post. I mentioned my fathers friend. He had a number of cars - one was a Rolls Royce, one was a Mini. He loved both of them equally. One day he was in a "Roller" mood, one day he was in a "Mini" mood. He would not get rid of either one.

What has this got to do with the argument? Well, I'll tell you. Everything and nothing - simple as that. That's a bit exclusive, though, isn't it? You have to have the money to experience both extremes, or you can only offer an opinion,not a subjective evaluation. That evaluation is a mite exclusive, though - it disallows the views of many of us - indeed, most of us, who cannot hope to experience both extremes. But it is not a valid argument to denigrate one product at the promotion of another. Only time and experience and the opinions of others you respect will allow you to do this.

However, before you reach that point, you will come to realise that certain razors respond differently to certain leathers. It is a small point, and one not recognised by everyone, but I for one an convinced that it is indeed a fact. Once again, stropping on plain cowhide and then something like latigo or shell ha convinced me that there is indeed a noticeable difference - - not earth shattering, but noticeable nonetheless,

Thebigspendur and Honedright are absolutely correct - the leather used, the price, or the looks are not absolutes, the only absolute is the opinion of a fellow straight razor user, and your own perceptions after using a strop. And even that has to be qualified. To explain this, I hone razors for living. Some of them respond well to a certain leather than another. I hone and srtop razors everyday - for myself, and for others. In my experience, shell and kangaroo perform exceptionally well.

But what if I had never experienced these leathers - would it have left me wanting something 'more' - I don't think so. If a cheaper strop gave me what I needed, then it would be perverse to look for something else.

But 'Perversity' is a huge part of human nature. Even when we are satisfied, we wonder if there is something else more satisfying. That's not only confined to strops, but includes such things as most male egos aspire to - like clothes, women, cars, etc.

So, bear with me me if you will. I mean no disrespect to either women or strops. Most other things I don't care about ( I should have listened to my mother). But...A good woman is worth a countless sum - inestimable to anyone except perhaps the lucky man she chose to be with. The difference with strops is that the man gets to choose. And men are fickle.

If you need clarification on that last point, either you are not married, your wife is watching you right now, or you are still living at mom and dads.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Tarkus

This thread reminds me of my father who always gave me crap for buying expensive watches. He would say my Timex keeps the same time as your pricey trinkets. But I got the last laugh when he passed away I buried him wearing my Tag Heuer.

Timeless...

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Thebigspendur and Honedright are absolutely correct - the leather used, the price, or the looks are not absolutes, the only absolute is the opinion of a fellow straight razor user, and your own perceptions after using a strop. And even that has to be qualified. To explain this, I hone razors for living. Some of them respond well to a certain leather than another. I hone and srtop razors everyday - for myself, and for others. In my experience, shell and kangaroo perform exceptionally well.

But what if I had never experienced these leathers - would it have left me wanting something 'more' - I don't think so. If a cheaper strop gave me what I needed, then it would be perverse to look for something else.

Regards,
Neil

Thank you for your detailed explanation of your pont of view. This was exactly what I was looking for: the argument of someone with experience with strops, razors and hones

I have relatively limited experience with different strops, but I can offer a little more perspective here.

The first thing I bought was a 3" strop. I spent $70 and got one of the 3" Mountain Man Mike strops. It's served me very well for two years. Well enough that I haven't felt the need for another strop.

But I was thinking about putting together full kits of restored vintage shaving gear (razor, strop and brush) so I picked up four or five old ones from antique stores. I've done some light reconditioning on them -- really just sanding and polishing -- and I use one of them regularly as my travel strop.

That $15, 2" strop from 1900ish makes my razor shave just as nicely as the $70 strop. I do not see any difference in shaving performance. What I do see is a vast gulf of difference in how nice it is to use. My expensive, modern strop has more draw, so I get better feedback, plus it has hardware so that holding it is much easier.

I said there's no difference in the end result, but that's only half-true. The lack of feedback on the vintage strop means it's so not-fun for me to use that I often end up under-stropping my razor and get a slightly harsh shave, but that's not an intrinsic feature of the strop -- it's a problem with me.

I have one Dovo strop. It was bought for me so I'm not certain of the exact specs. It's not cheap but neither does it break the bank and, without being able to compare it to anything else, I'd say that it's nice to strop on, though it has a few nicks at one end.

Do I need another strop? Not at all! Do I want one of Neil's awesome exotic leather strops? Hell yeah! Why? Because they look fantastic!

I have no doubt that there'll be a noticeable difference in the quality and feel of a cheap v expensive strop. It may not be necessary but, to me at least, it's something out of the ordinary, that's nice to own and something to take pleasure in using. A bit like a Rolls Royce.

Sadly, I can't justify spending out on one right now!

One day...

I don't have a lot of experience either. I've used a Filly from Rupp Razor with what I though was nice results. I didn't want to nick up a nice expensive strop since I was new to this. I nicked up the Filly a bit before I felt like I had the Nack of it( that's nack, not nick). Then I bought another Filly($20. each) and told myself if I didn't nick this one, I'd get I better one. Well, my wife wanted to know what I wanted for our 10th anniversary. So I had her get me a SRD Premium One strop. I let it hang for about 5 days and ran my palm over it every now and then. Used it only once so far last Sunday. Took out one of my favorite Razors and stropped and shaved. I did notice a difference. The razor felt a little smother, and a little sharper. It's still to early to tell since I only used it once so far and it may be my imagination. But I think it dose make a difference between using an inexpensive single leather only strop, and a better quality leather strop with a linen strop also.

Great thread! I'm just in the market for a new strop since I knicked both my cheap beginner stops into oblivion and after a few months of "no knicks" I'm ready to move on up.

But I am a little confused, and I hope someone with experience actually using them can respond. I'm able to afford a strop up to say, $70 or 80 since I non longer have to save for 1969 Road Runner convertible parts (anyone who has experience restoring a Mopar will now understand I can get any freaking strop I want...it will cost less than a thumbwheel am/fm radio). BUT... that means no new straight for a while.

Even with Mr. Miller's excellent and informative post, I'm getting the distinct feeling that a 30 dollar strop will perform just as well as a 70 or 80 dollar strop. My question is: Now that I'm pretty sure I can keep and correctly use a strop,should I move up to the "big time?" Keep in mind that I am ONLY interested in performance... not look and not "feel." Only that I will strop 15-20 times and get a great shave.