TM vs SRD Red Latigo

[Loner16]

Loner,

SRD's components interchange with mine on the 3"


Tony

That's very true, but then my strop is not a Tony Miller anymore, it is some kind of hybrid..

Perhaps you will produce a run on replacement 3" Red Latigo replacements in the future? I'll pick one up in case of an unforseen disaster, and then I will still have a Tony miller strop.

 

[Thebigspendur]

Back in the day barbers who used them multiple times each day had one maybe two strops hanging off the barber chair and these were used day in and day out for years, maybe a career. The strops may have started out looking different and feeling a little different but they all did the same job and after years of stropping they pretty much looked and felt the same.

In the end a quality strop is just that whether Tony made it or SRD or someone else. No matter the critter made from or size or finish they all do the same job.

 

[Tony Miller]

The strops may have started out looking different and feeling a little different but they all did the same job and after years of stropping they pretty much looked and felt the same.

In the end a quality strop is just that whether Tony made it or SRD or someone else. No matter the critter made from or size or finish they all do the same job.

I would agree. Cow, horse, bison, etc.... will all, for the most part do the same thing. Some may be a bit faster, some will feel different, but in the end all will do the job and each individual piece, no matter who made them will be a bit different. test 10 jemicos or 10 of mine and the only ones that may seem identical were those cut from adjacent strips on a single hide. The next hide will be different....but they will work the same.

What you pay for is workmanship, quality and the details. Some makers will allow things another may not, one will finish things a bit differently, hardware may vary, etc..... You also to some extent pay for innovation and design....different makers bring different ideas to the market and they might be an idea that rings true to you or may just seem like excess or marketing. Some like wide, some like narrow, some handles, some rings, some nothing at all.

If I were in the market for a strop now I would have no concerns whether it was mine, an SRD, and Ambrose or a Screaming Pig. I know they will all do the job and be a good value. I buy based on the style that speaks to me and the people behind the name. The functionality is a given when comparing any of the current high end strops.

Tony

 

[Legion]

I would agree. Cow, horse, bison, etc.... will all, for the most part do the same thing. Some may be a bit faster, some will feel different, but in the end all will do the job and each individual piece, no matter who made them will be a bit different. test 10 jemicos or 10 of mine and the only ones that may seem identical were those cut from adjacent strips on a single hide. The next hide will be different....but they will work the same.

What you pay for is workmanship, quality and the details. Some makers will allow things another may not, one will finish things a bit differently, hardware may vary, etc..... You also to some extent pay for innovation and design....different makers bring different ideas to the market and they might be an idea that rings true to you or may just seem like excess or marketing. Some like wide, some like narrow, some handles, some rings, some nothing at all.

If I were in the market for a strop now I would have no concerns whether it was mine, an SRD, and Ambrose or a Screaming Pig. I know they will all do the job and be a good value. I buy based on the style that speaks to me and the people behind the name. The functionality is a given when comparing any of the current high end strops.

Tony

This is refreshing, coming from someone who has been in the game for so long. Too often guys like us get so caught up in the subtleties that we forget that what we are using is a tool. If the one we are using is getting the job done is there really any need to by five more just because someone said that the different one they had was also doing the job? I am as guilty as anyone here. Everything I get interested in evolves into a collection. AD is a strong force, especially when we spend our day chatting like train-spotters on forums.

A strop is not part of the space shuttle. It is a piece of leather. There probably aren't many of us here who could not make our own. Sure, it might not look as nice as one Tony or SRD makes. They have the experience and tools to do the beautiful job that they do. But, in all likelihood, the one you make would probably still get the job done.

As Tony said in an early post, once upon a time a guy had one razor, one strop, one hone. He kept using that until it broke or wore out. If he felt like he got a good long run out of that piece of equipment, chances are he would try to replace it with the same type.

I'm not criticising you guys as much as I am myself. I look around and I have thousands of pieces of different equipment, all to do one simple job. Remove the hair from my face. When did it get all so out of hand?

 

[huntmol]

i've gone of my litigo tm it is greasy and glazes. to much draw. i prefer the horshide nower days and kanayama as just enough draw. If i was you i would try the premium 1 hanging strop. just enough draw and nice and smooth

I feel the same way. I felt that TM horsehide had too little draw and TM latigo had too much draw - my Kanayama is the perfect balance.