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Wanting to buy a new strop... But which one?

I'm ready to buy a new Strop.. my "newbieness" is gone and I think I can keep from slicing a new one up.. So I've been looking and reading .. now I'm really confused... I want to stay under $70. if possible. Talk to me what do I want???
 
@Tony Miller makes one of the BEST strops…Kanayama nowadays is over rated for what you get, Scrupleworks are good but above what Tony sells his strops for and Westholme if you have deep pockets but Alastair does not make many anymore.

If your looking for a great quality strop with attention to detail and good quality leather that won’t break the bank and last you pretty much a lifetime One of Tony’s Heirloom strops is as far as you need to go.
 
Boring! That's me, I'm boring, because I'm recommending Tony Miller too.

I have four. Horsehide, roughout horsehide, steerhide, and roughout steerhide. All are 3", which I prefer by far.

I recommend starting with a veg tanned Horween horsehide. If you can stretch, get a linen component. If you buy a nice Tony Miller, there is no reason you will need another strop. And yes, I have a Kanayama Llama 30000.
 
Yup, Tony Miller strops.

Huge fan of the Roughout and Linen combination if you are going Heirloom and are willing to spend a bit more. OTH if you want a fast draw leather, then I’m a fan of the Notovan Horsehide and you can go for the standard cotton to keep the price down.

Can’t go wrong with Plain Chocolate or Plain Vanilla and cotton if you trying to stay under $70.

Here are my Roughout and Plain Chocolate:
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Tony Miller

Speaking of horse butts…
I wanted to mention that Forged's strop was a special project and he requested matching rather than contrasting trim and handles. Normally they are black Latigo rather than the Roughout Horsehide.


Yup, Tony Miller strops.

Huge fan of the Roughout and Linen combination if you are going Heirloom and are willing to spend a bit more. OTH if you want a fast draw leather, then I’m a fan of the Notovan Horsehide and you can go for the standard cotton to keep the price down.

Can’t go wrong with Plain Chocolate or Plain Vanilla and cotton if you trying to stay under $70.

Here are my Roughout and Plain Chocolate:View attachment 1302599View attachment 1302600
 
Hey @camoloc , do you do anything to break in the Tony Miller cotton, or use as is?

After reading some really over the top instructions for breaking in Kanayama fabric components, I have wondered if I should do any thing to my Heirloom cotton components. Not curious enough yet to search/read any threads though...
 
If you can afford it, Cordovan is the best stropping material that you can get. It’s difficult to find and not many people do it. Kanayama and Westholme are the only ones that come to mind. I have a Westholme made of Horween Shell Cordovan and it’s amazing. Smooth, tough, fast and supple. It’s an incredible material. The surface has a magnetic feel that clings to the bevel as you strop like. It’s magic but you wouldn’t want to nick it.

As others have said you really can’t go wrong with an Heirloom strop from Tony. Quality components and craftsmanship at a fair price. For your budget this would be my recommendation. It would be great if he made a Cordovan model but we still have to wait for that. The pressure is growing for a limited edition B&B group buy but so far he is resisting the call of the people.
 
Regarding the Cordo recommendation: Under $70 for cordovan isn't gonna be easy. I bought a piece of cordo, made the strops myself with zero frills, and got basically the perfect size/shape piece of shell and I STILL barely hit that price. (4 good sized strops from a $225 piece of cordovan... plus linen and hardware costs.)
Also, I've never nicked my cordo strops, but the things are FAST and definitely a little scarier to use vs most other strops. Combined with their price, I always have a little worry that I WILL nick them... and you don't want that for your first "pricy" strop.


Regarding Tony's resistance to a Cordo run: As I recall, Tony's reason for not offering cordo is that with the amount of waste and difficulty getting consistent quality pieces, the necessary costs are beyond what he's willing to sell his strops for. (I may be misremembering, feel free to correct me). A few makers do sell cordo strops, but they tend to be in the $200-400 range.
 
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