Functionality vs Indulgence - The Strop

N

NigelW

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13
The price range for everything to do with straight razor shaving seems to be vast. How can you tell if you are paying for something that works better or for a piece of indulgence? Is there any dividing line?

I spilt my time between two locations so need two shaving set ups. Currently I have only one strop which I have to carry with me. It is a home-made hanging one made from a strip of cow leather to which I have attached the hardware from an old and damaged strop. The rough flesh side I have treated with stropping paste and the smooth dressed side I have left plain. I do about 30 passes of each every time I shave. In one location I have a 6/8" TI with a very hollow grind and the other a 6/8" vintage with a less hollow grind.

I want to acquire a second strop. Do I buy one on Amazon for a tenner or fork out a ton for one by a posh German razor maker? One sided or two? All leather or part leather, part cloth? Should paste be used on it or not? Do you really need to let the razor "rest" for 48 hours between stropping? I want something that works best; I am less concerned about how smart it looks but I am confused. Help would be appreciated.
 
Blademonkey said:
Let's face it, you can strop a razor on news paper so one could call anything that cost more than a news paper an indulgence! I get by on a £30 leather strop but would one day like to indulge myself and buy Tony Miller strop with all the extras, the choice is yours. :)

Paul.
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Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against indulgence - in fact I am thinking of indulging myself with another razor before long. I am just trying to understand the minimum requirement for getting an excellent shave from a practical set up to narrow down the bewildering amount of choice.
 
NigelW said:
Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against indulgence - in fact I am thinking of indulging myself with another razor before long. I am just trying to understand the minimum requirement for getting an excellent shave from a practical set up to narrow down the bewildering amount of choice.
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If you have nothing against indulgence go ahead a by your German strop or something just as nice and you will know in your heart you could not have bought any better and you will feel that your new razor has had the best strop it can ever have had.
For that your next shave will feel fantastic! :)


Paul.
 
My main strop for 4 years was a generic German "Prima Rindleder" thing, I paid the extortionate price of £5 for it in a closing down sale. One of these:

hanging-strop-timor-185-with-textile-back.jpg

It seemed to work well enough so I never felt the need for another until last year when a second hand Westholme appeared on eBay which I ended up winning for £20 but I think they are more like £120 to buy new (prices starting at..)

20200824_121338.jpg

You get much more leather to play with, in comparison the German one feels like a travel strop. Feel of the leather is also totally different despite both being cow... The German one feels like a very fine suede almost whereas the Westholme is like a high quality leather jacket, supple and with a light sheen to it.

In a nutshell, from my experience, there is little benefit to a higher priced "low end" strop... Specifically from the point of razor edge maintenance, it just doesn't seem to make much discernible difference. However, the nicer strop is far more pleasurable to own and use. I'm yet to use one myself but from what I've read cordovan is where you begin to reap the benefits of paying more for a strop.
 
My advice would be to stop using the paste every time you strop. They are intended for touching up a jaded edge - once your razor starts pulling it needs to be re-honed. The 48 hour resting period is a myth - just imagine how many razors an old time barber would have needed if they stood by this rule.

You can buy a decent length, no frills strop from EBay or other sites at a reasonable price. Look for a leather worker with a good sales response score. To my mind a strops length and width are important factors - minimum 2.5” but preferably 3” width and about 16” of practical stropping length - that is excluding the handle and attachments.

Of course you can also look for second hand strops on Ebay etc and shaving forums. Old leather can be sanded down and any minor nicks removed - but just avoid anything showing major cracks. I’ve bought some great travel strops from EBay and reconditioned them - they are small enough to fit in your luggage whilst still providing a reasonable stropping area.
 
As Rob & the Boys have Suggested..Get a Decent Working Strop..A 2.5 Inch is Great..3 Inch Strops are Great as Well..This is Just a Matter of Me Talking..No Hard Right or Wrongs on the Matter..I Find a 2 or 2 Half Inch Wide Strop Easier to Learn on for Using X Strokes...They DEMAND an X Stroke..Most Guys I Know Use Some Sort of X Stroke Even on a 3 Inch Strop..I Certainly Do.. (y)

I Personally Keep My Edges Sharp by Using Pastes..My Motto is to Maintain Em Sharp before they Fall Off or Tug..It Works for Me..I May Hit a Razor on Paste Every 3/4 Shaves or So or Maybe One or Two Strokes Between Shaves..Depends on the Steel & Amount of Heavy or Light Work I have Done Whilst Shaving with it..But..Rob is Correct..Once they Dull Too Much they Need Taken Back to a Refresh Hone..:p

As Far as High Quality Strop Goes..I Use a Westholme Cordovan Strop to Finish My Edges on After Coming Off My Working Strop..I Use a Strop Pretty Much with a Progression in Mind as Do with Hones..I Find I Get a Finer Edge Off a Good Strop..The Difference to the Experienced User Can be Felt..That Said Ya Certainly Dont Need One..The Difference is Marginal But Big Enough To Me as I Can Indeed Feel the Not So Subtle Difference on My Face..But I Am Very Much Tuned into SRs Via Honing & Stuff..Very Much Like Zen the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance..I Tune in to What I am Doing Like when Race Tuning Classic Motorcycle Engines..:p

I Am a Full Time Buddhist Tai Ji Chuan..Gung Fu Practitioner..I Am Sensitive & To Me All things SR Related is About what the Chinese Gung Fu Masters Call Ting jJn...Listening Energy.. Enjoy the Art of Feeling &Shaving..Here is a Good Value Strop..It Ticks All the Boxes..Surprised they are So Well Priced..I Can Speak from 1st Hand on Em..:cool:
www.ebay.co.uk

FIRST ENGLISH LEATHER & CANVAS RAZOR STROP - FINEST QUALITY | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FIRST ENGLISH LEATHER & CANVAS RAZOR STROP - FINEST QUALITY at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
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Billy
 
A nice piece of veg-tanned leather and a DIY strop should be miles better than any budget strop from Amazon. I bought one of these a while back (seem to be out of stock at the moment):

https://www.artisanleather.co.uk/razor-strop-leather-strip-75mm-3-inches-wide.html

The piece I got is a nice, solid piece of leather. The finish is a very fine suede rather than glossy smooth. Not sure if that's good or bad... No doubt it can be sanded/polished to a gloss if needed.
 
mcgruff said:
A nice piece of veg-tanned leather and a DIY strop should be miles better than any budget strop from Amazon. I bought one of these a while back (seem to be out of stock at the moment):

https://www.artisanleather.co.uk/razor-strop-leather-strip-75mm-3-inches-wide.html

The piece I got is a nice, solid piece of leather. The finish is a very fine suede rather than glossy smooth. Not sure if that's good or bad... No doubt it can be sanded/polished to a gloss if needed.
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That’s really all you need as a starter strop. Add a couple of thongs top and bottom - or D rings if you like - and you’re ready to go. Incidentally, mine and Billie’s posts about stropping paste should be clarified. My aversion is the over-use of CrOx (green Chromium Oxide) because it can make the edge very harsh. There are gentler pastes (Red and Black) that are more forgiving and probably don’t add much more than a shine to the bevel. At the most gentle is a leaded strop - the lead generates a chalky surface and some users report the smoothest edges are obtained.
 
Thank you for all the great advice. Two things I have learned:

- get a nice wide strop
- go easy on the paste

I am now wondering if I should have a strop which I keep free from paste and another (perhaps a solid non-hanging type) which I apply paste to for when the edge needs a bit of extra sharpening.
 
Balsa wood is another option for a pasted strop. Glue a thick-ish sheet to something solid so the balsa can't deform and then lap it flat before applying the paste.

With a more solid surface, I feel I'm less likely to round the edge v hanging leather.
 
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