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Strop Length

Not that I need another one but am curious about length, I have recently see some nice strops with barber ends and nice hardware ( Pegasus Strops ) that measure 3" x 30" so the question would be is the 30" a bit over kill or do some of you like long strops
 
This, like everything else, is largely a preference thing, but I like a long strop. I am 6'3" if I stand up real straight and find a longer strop more comfortable to use.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
I think 30 inches would be too long for me, but I love my Kana 60K at 26 inches.
 
Good looking strops. I know it is commonly done, but anytime I see cordovan used to describe color it grinds my gears a bit.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
24" for me. I find that if you use long stropping strokes, you tend to lose some control at the ends when your arms are fully extended or contracted. I find the same thing at the ends of honing strokes with a full size bench stone if I try to use the whole length, so I like the 190x70 and 140x80 hone sizes better.

Your preferences may depend on how long your arms are and different people like different things, that's why they make all these sizes of strops and hones.

Cheers, Steve
 
I have used the longer 30 inch star shaving strop, found it a bit cumbersome. So my preferred size is the Kanayama at 2.72 inches wide (68mm) x 24 inches (600mm) long. It's perfect for me. Even without handles, using the barber's end grip it's good to go.
 
I contacted the Vendor and inquired if the 30" was just the stropping surface or total length and they replied total length but I am still thinking that's a tad to long, I have 4 strops and none are blose to 30" and I took my longest and stropped on it to get an average of area used and it's about 22" so really not sure about the 30"
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
I measured a handle from a vintage strop, it's abput 5-13/16" to 5-7/8", so just add a handle to the length of your 24" Kanoyama and you'll get the idea. You could probably tape a handled strop to the back of the Kanoyama maybe with low tack painter's tape and you could get a feel for the length. I'd turn the Kanoyama over to keep the adhesive off the stropping surface though.

Cheers, Steve
 
I measured a handle from a vintage strop, it's abput 5-13/16" to 5-7/8", so just add a handle to the length of your 24" Kanoyama and you'll get the idea. You could probably tape a handled strop to the back of the Kanoyama maybe with low tack painter's tape and you could get a feel for the length. I'd turn the Kanoyama over to keep the adhesive off the stropping surface though.

Cheers, Steve

Steve,

Did as you suggested and 30" is just a bit to long for me as there is a lot left over that would not get used so more than likely going to pass on this one, thanks for the handle suggestion it really helped me make a decision.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
Glad I could be of help William. I do not try to use all of a 24" strop or a 208mm hone, you just seem to have less control at the ends of the stroke/pass.

I do admit that I am intrigued by the Kanoyama 90000, and Alfredo uses one I believe, being taller than I am.

Another thing that I do differently from most people is that I strop with the strop almost vertical, not horizontal. The hanging point is eye level or a little above. This means that I do not have to extend and contract my arm with every stroke, and I feel this gives me a more consistent stroke. This way, most of the finesse is in my wrist and not my elbow.

Cheers, Steve
 
Steve my strops all hang about 12" above my waste, I am a short fellow and hanging at this point seems more natraul to me and I hold the handle almost at my waste so it's an upward stroke and i slightly cant the strop at an angle towards me, I took a mental note on all my strops to see how much area I could comforttably cover and it's not close to 30" it would be more like 18"-22" so that extra 6"-8" would not be used
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I prefer longer strops, myself, but anything with over 20" of usable length I can get accustomed to if I have to. One of my favorite strops was the Big Daddy sold by Star Shaving Co. I still have two of them, actually. The name fits, as it is wide and long, with very nice construction except I would have usedd three chicago screws per end, instead of two. My homemade daily driver now is just as wide, a bit longer, three screws per end, no felt or linen, and hyoooge D rings. The reason I like extra length is only partly because my natural stropping stroke is a bit long; it is also a matter of having plenty of extra runway so to speak. IOW, I don't necessarily use the entire length. Depending on the construction details, running too far can result in damage to the edge. Minor, yeah, but still and all...

I dont see why extra length, within reason, would ever be a problem. After all, you can hang it as high as you want. It is your strop, and your bathroom. Potaytoes, Potahtoes, or Taters. YMMV
 
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