#1
I am about to purchase a strop. I know about Whipped Dog, is there any other thoughts or recommendation on a beginner strop? Oh my this straight edge thing is becoming a slippery slope. Oh well, since I am more machine than man, I might as well embrace the dark side or is it sharp side.
#2

Member
Texas
I have the SRD 3" natural that I picked up off a BST in a trade. Which has been a great to learn stropping on. Big plus for me is that when I feel my stropping has become better I can buy a replacement leather from Straight Razor Designs and it will be like new again.

Yesterday I received a TM Heirloom No.2 strop. Not sure when I will use it first as I don't want to ruin it. But I believe Tony has practice strops as well but his strops can be a little hard to get sometimes due to availability.
Jerry
#3

That Bald Guy with the Big Beard
Bishop, CA
I have a strop I picked up in a trade in this forum and a poor mans strop kit of Larry at Whipped Dog. The kit cane with a very basuc strop that I attached to a piece of 2x4 tl use like a paddle strop.

Leather is leather as far as I can tell. Search around and find the price that fits your budget. Like everything else, they run the gammut from affkrdable to astronomical. Get what works for you...

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-Chris~Head Shaver~
#4
The Shaving Shop strops are nice and a great value. I got the XXL tri-strop.

http://shavingshoponline.com/t/straight-...ccessories

I also heard good things about Shavesmith strops

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShaveSmith?sec...d=11865146


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#5

Member
Surrey, UK
(05-26-2016, 02:26 PM)BadDad Wrote: I have a strop I picked up in a trade in this forum and a poor mans strop kit of Larry at Whipped Dog. The kit cane with a very basuc strop that I attached to a piece of 2x4 tl use like a paddle strop.

Leather is leather as far as I can tell. Search around and find the price that fits your budget. Like everything else, they run the gammut from affkrdable to astronomical. Get what works for you...

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Chris, there are a few variations in the leather used for strops. Amongst these are horsehide, cordovan, cowhide, and I believe there are even strops made from kangaroo. Whilst the purpose of any strop is to align the edge, each will vary in feel and speed(draw). Harder leathers will have a faster draw, generally, whilst softer leather, slower draw. It is completely personal preference what kind of draw an individual prefers.

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David
#6
Thank you for the links. They are very nice.
#7
I believe that Alister from Westholme Strops now does a beginner and his strops are amazing.

http://www.westholmestrops.com/westholme-starter-strop

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Oli AKA Windsor Citrus
Surrey, UK.
#8

Member
Canada
(05-26-2016, 02:26 PM)BadDad Wrote: I have a strop I picked up in a trade in this forum and a poor mans strop kit of Larry at Whipped Dog. The kit cane with a very basuc strop that I attached to a piece of 2x4 tl use like a paddle strop.

Leather is leather as far as I can tell. Search around and find the price that fits your budget. Like everything else, they run the gammut from affkrdable to astronomical. Get what works for you...

Sent from my LGL34C using Tapatalk

No offense to you and no offense to Larry as Whipped Dog (I have made a few purchases from him) but there can be a big difference between a $20 strop and a $100 stop. Will they both get the job done? Sure they will. I think the main difference is how they feel. Some like it very slick, some like a lot of draw, that's something you'll have to figure out. Larry at Whipped Dog is definitely budget friendly and he is great to deal with.

If you are new to stropping that Larry's is a good idea because you may cut/nick your first strop in the learning process. I like how you made it into a paddle strop because those tend to be easier to learn on because you don't have to worry about tension.

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#9

That Bald Guy with the Big Beard
Bishop, CA
(05-27-2016, 06:03 AM)oMniPotent Wrote: No offense to you and no offense to Larry as Whipped Dog (I have made a few purchases from him) but there can be a big difference between a $20 strop and a $100 stop. Will they both get the job done? Sure they will. I think the main difference is how they feel. Some like it very slick, some like a lot of draw, that's something you'll have to figure out. Larry at Whipped Dog is definitely budget friendly and he is great to deal with.

If you are new to stropping that Larry's is a good idea because you may cut/nick your first strop in the learning process. I like how you made it into a paddle strop because those tend to be easier to learn on because you don't have to worry about tension.

No offense taken. I've never used a $100 strop, but Im sure when the opportunity presents itself, I will immediately feel the difference.

I'm all about being budget conscious and I am a beginner in the world of straights. Im sure that as my skills and techniques improve, I will find the desire to improve the quality of my equipment as well. Its a fairly natural progression, I imagine...

Besides, if there was no difference between the 2 price ranges, there would be no reason to have different prices, right?

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-Chris~Head Shaver~
#10
For strops, leather is not leather as you start using certain types of finishing stones.

One thing to keep in mind when looking around is whether the strop is "oil-tanned" versus "veg-tanned." I'm not really a super expert, but the way the leather is cured makes a pretty big difference on the feel and way that it works against your razor. Oil-tanned leathers will have a short break-in period, tend towards a heavier draw, while veg-tanned tend to be drier and stiff at first, but slowly soften and break in with a lighter draw. For beginners, go with oil-tanned for sure.
.
Take this all with this understanding that strops are a natural product and grain structure and quality to the strop can and will vary widely.

There's latigo, which thankfully seems to be falling out favor. It has severely extreme "draw" (resistance, drag, pulling sensation) and at best does a "decent" job refining your edges. It also seems to be one of the cheaper cuts of leather, and grain pattern can vary a lot.

There's English Bridle leather, which is about as nice as you get with cowhide leather. It has a lot of oils in it right from the get-go so the break-in period isn't as important as other varieties of leather (you will actually notice that your edges will look a little "cloudy" after use.) It refines your edges nicely, and is usually the style of leather that will work for most folks. I tend to get the "sharpest" and most aggressive edges when using strops of English Bridle. It has a medium-light draw at first, but breaks into a solid medium draw over time. Recommended brands are SRD and TM for me, with TM being the superior of the two on account of the slightly lighter draw.

Then there's your horsehide leather, which can be a step up for some folks. Horsehide has a tighter grain structure than cow hide, so to put it into terms relating to honing, it has a "higher grit rating." There's a few varieties, but I really like the oil-tanned versions that TM and Torolf of Scrupleworks put out. It has a "magnetic" feeling, medium draw and I feel a big difference in how "smooth" my edges feel. They don't feel as sharp or aggressive as after I use English Bridle, but much more comfortable, which is what I'm all about.

Top of the heap is your shell cordovan (different than just corodovan.) It comes from a very small section of the horsehide, it is expensive, and it doesn't even feel like regular leather. It feels almost "stretchy", but the edges are smooth, keen and incredible. Draw is extremely light so it can take some getting used to. I have one from Alastair at Westholme which I love the edges from. I try to really baby it since I have gone through strops due to stabilizers and jimping making scratches and such.

And then you have your odd ducks, your novelty leathers. I haven't tried many, but this category includes ostrich, kangaroo, etc. They work, some like them for travel and such, I would just generally point people towards things that have more reviews on them.

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