Are those ebay and Amazon Fromm strops counterfeit?

I think I read somewhere that Fromm is (or was) a great strop maker which professionals would go to. That being considered, I thought that those on offer at Amazon and ebay (I think they are all sold by the same dealer) may be worth the $35 price tag. Then I took a look at some of the reviews (some reported quality issues), and the inscriptions on some models that may get in the way of the work you would do with them. I don't want anything fancy, but I would like to get a decent basic canvas and leather strop with hardware that is built not to break like Colonel Conk! I've also found it very frustrating trying to find one which does not ship with more stiff wrinkles and bumps than a corpse, and doesn't cost more than a good waterstone.

Anyway, what do you think of Fromm, and those ebay and Amazon dealers who sell items purporting to be that company's product?

I have briefly browsed Straight Razor Designs, where everything I saw is a strip of leather (although they do look like nice strips of leather) with canvas and D-rings priced at over 40 dollars, and most prices ranged from $70 to the land of the triple digits - do you really need to pay that much for unfancified quality of workable length and width? I would prefer a length of more than 20", and a width of more than 2", why should that be hard? If I must pay so much, then I must, but before I chance it on one of so many makes which I know nothing about, can somebody recommend a good make that won't cost me my shirt?

Thanks.

Yes, I can recommend the "bluroot" strop. They are custom designed to suit your exact needs. All you need is a piece of leather cut to the size you want from a leather shop, a suitably sized d-ring (or two), a leather hole punch and some rivets/screws/etc.

Seriously, try making your own. As you say, they are just strips of leather. Go to a leather place, tell them what you want, get advice, buy the bits, spend some time. It's a good feeling to make and use your own and it should work out much cheaper than buying a ready made.

James.

+1 to Jimbo's advice. Search for "homemade strop" or something similar and you'll find plenty of different examples of approaches people have taken to making their own. One caution though - it can be addictive. :)

I have one of those Amazon Fromm strops, it's an Illinois 827. It's a great strop, and I prefer it over my 3" SRD Prem I strop. Why? Because my face feels better results from the Illinois strop. Lately I have been using both, first the Illinois 827, then the SRD Prem. I.

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Originally Posted by Cangooner

+1 to Jimbo's advice. Search for "homemade strop" or something similar and you'll find plenty of different examples of approaches people have taken to making their own. One caution though - it can be addictive. :)

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That is what I most afraid of - I'm alredy in over my head with addictive distractions!

Don't get me wrong, making a homemade strop is not my general advice to everyone (though I do think everyone is capable of such a thing). It is just that your post read like you wanted something, dimension-wise, not quite standard. Easiest solution to that is to make your own to the specs you want.

And it is a relatively easy (and quick) thing to do.

James.

It should work out cheaper? Even if I don't buy in bulk?

Leather shop? There actually are some which operate independently of garment producers? Outside of major cities? Online?

Suppose I decide to try this - some hide materials must be superior to others. Any comments on this would be much appreciated.

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Originally Posted by Jimbo

Yes, I can recommend the "bluroot" strop. They are custom designed to suit your exact needs. All you need is a piece of leather cut to the size you want from a leather shop, a suitably sized d-ring (or two), a leather hole punch and some rivets/screws/etc.

Seriously, try making your own. As you say, they are just strips of leather. Go to a leather place, tell them what you want, get advice, buy the bits, spend some time. It's a good feeling to make and use your own and it should work out much cheaper than buying a ready made.

James.

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No - I was trying to say how I'm not particularly fussy! I don't care about color (should I?), fancy stitching, inscriptions, labels, or other frivolous nonsense so long as it isn't bumpy, isn't too skimpy to be functional, and is built to last. I've seen the dimensions such as "20in x 3in", "23in x 2&1/2in", 24in x 3" bumping around the forum and the markets, and I was just stating what I feel is a reasonable minimum. I just checked the usable length of the Konk which I've been using - wow, that's only 12" (no wonder I feel the need for more space), so I guess an upgrade to a 20" strop shouldn't feel disappointing. All I want is something of no less leather quality than the Konk which I've been using and am done knicking up, plus a little more space to work on, therefore I feel moved to go and buy that Fromm. But it happens that since I decided that, I had a bad Amazon experience with a serious turd of an Amazon merchant - he did not ship what the picture depicted. It was much shorter, it actually shipped rougher and bumpier than a hag's face, and it could not possibly be stretched out even! That's why I'm polling around here on one of those few other Amazon deals before I go and buy it.

QUOTE=Jimbo;1168193]Don't get me wrong, making a homemade strop is not my general advice to everyone (though I do think everyone is capable of such a thing). It is just that your post read like you wanted something, dimension-wise, not quite standard. Easiest solution to that is to make your own to the specs you want.

And it is a relatively easy (and quick) thing to do.

James.[/QUOTE]

I guess it depends where you are as to how available the leather places might be. In the US people talk about Tandy. Here in Australia it is more a case of a leather working shop, or perhaps a saddle maker etc.

Even without the economies of scale you might get with buying bulk I am pretty sure you could whip up a no frills, very usable strop for under $20. The first one I made, for example, was a big old piece of cow leather (25" by 3") that I just put two eyelets into at one end. Then I threaded a shoelace through to hold it to a towel rail.

Strops don't have to be fancy, they just have to work.

James.

The Illinois strops are a good strop for the money.

You can always check Whipped Dog razors at

http://whippeddog.com/products/find/...-and-abrasives

Hope that helps,
Jim

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Originally Posted by bluroot

That is what I most afraid of - I'm alredy in over my head with addictive distractions!

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Heheheh... Welcome to SRP!

Seriously, though, Jimbo is right that it needs only to work. You could by no strop at all and use newspaper, an old leather belt, the back of a wallet or the palm of your hand... each has it's own set of quirks and drawbacks, but in the end is a usable and viable option.

I would say you could go the more inexpensive route and buy a leather belt blank from Hobby Lobby or Michael's (I'm assuming you're in the US, most presumably the south since you use y'all [like me!!]), but I don't think it would be the width you'd want, as I believe they only come in 2" widths.


Interestingly enough, I've toyed with making a travel paddle strop from one of these with two pieces glued to the paddle side by side with the seam pressed as tight together as possible to see if it would work.

With all that said, though, I know I've read several posts here stating that the Fromm strop (or the Illinois Strop Co. strops, which was a subsidiary or parent company- not sure which) was good, it just needed some strop conditioner (also available on Amazon) to work well and maybe a bit of flattening with a wine/beer/some type of glass bottle. Also, you've had some experienced members give their (positive) feedback of the Fromm strop, so I say look into the custom strop route and if it seems too expensive/implausible, go with the Fromm.