Strop preferences. What are yours?

[Fly2High]

looking for my first strop. I see there are lots of variety in them.

Do you prefer:

1. D ring or a leather handle?
2. Fast, medium or slow action?
3. Use cloth or not? If yes, what kind? Synthetic, cotton, linen, pressed felt or what?
4. Use paste or no paste or both, a paste and a no paste cloth?
5. Hanging or paddle strop?
6. Black, brown or natural color leather( not sure I have a preference but was interested I yours)?
7. Strop attachment: is the leather attached at the ends with a block of metal and a single screw, permanent fastener and cannot be removed, 2 Chicago screws or 3 Chicago screws?
8. What do you attach your hanging strop to?


That is all for now
Thanks
Frank

 

[Jnatcat]

I have 6 strops I think and they are all different but the only difference that affects me is the draw and I personally prefer a medium draw, strops like fast bridle are to glassy, i have a fast bridle and it's very nice but to glassy but I still use it, the oil tanned ones I have both even though are both oil tanned are from two different makers and both have different draw, i then have a spanish bridle that is close to draw with the fast bridle but slightly less glassy, I only have one cordovan and that's a Kanayama and it kinda gets the most use, maybe because it's the closest and then I have a paddle and it's just ok.

As far as the second component i personally prefer flax linen, I have tried cotton webbing and other components but always like the feel of the flax cotton.

 

[Bison93]

1. "D" rings
2. I like all of them, lately like fast draw
3. I Use cloth, no preference after it breaks in, don't like felt except for with diamond spray.
4. I have separate pasted Strops.. SRD modular paddle strop helps with this
5. Daily, hanging strop. Occasionally paddle.
6. Brown or reddish
7. Chicago screws for sure
8. Eye hooks in the wall, and by the sink

 

[Alum of Potash]

looking for my first strop. I see there are lots of variety in them.

Do you prefer:

1. D ring or a leather handle?
2. Fast, medium or slow action?
3. Use cloth or not? If yes, what kind? Synthetic, cotton, linen, pressed felt or what?
4. Use paste or no paste or both, a paste and a no paste cloth?
5. Hanging or paddle strop?
6. Black, brown or natural color leather( not sure I have a preference but was interested I yours)?
7. Strop attachment: is the leather attached at the ends with a block of metal and a single screw, permanent fastener and cannot be removed, 2 Chicago screws or 3 Chicago screws?
8. What do you attach your hanging strop to?


That is all for now
Thanks
Frank

1. No D-ring, no handle. Just a plain, square-cut end.
2. Fast or slick draw.
3. Linen.
4. Paste on dedicated Solingen linen strop. Red tube paste on one side, white tube paste on the other.
5. Hanging strop.
6. This is not a concern of mine.
7. Ditto to number six.
8. Depends on where I am. Either a hook or a door knob, approximately coinciding with the height of my navel.

Bonus answer as to width: I prefer a narrower strop, ranging between 2" and 2-1/2" wide.

 

[nodakjohns]

1. Leather handle
2. Fast preferred.
3. Yes. I don't really have a preference but i would like to try linen.
4. I have chrome-ox on two of my strops. Both are on the inside of the strops. One is on poly webbing and the other is on pressed felt.
5. Hanging
6. Brown leather
7. 2-3 chicago screws mainly
8. I use about a six inch loop of paracord on all my strops. I generally loop it on my towel rack, door knob, or a chair if i'm sitting in front of the tv.

 

[ouch]

I divide strops into two categories.

1) TM
2) other

Anything else I adapt to.

 

[EL Alamein]

Vintage Shell leather paired with a vintage linen.

Mine's attached to an eye bolt on the bedroom wall.

The old Dovo Russian Red strops are just as good.

Chris

 

[David]

looking for my first strop. I see there are lots of variety in them.

Do you prefer:

1. D ring or a leather handle?
2. Fast, medium or slow action?
3. Use cloth or not? If yes, what kind? Synthetic, cotton, linen, pressed felt or what?
4. Use paste or no paste or both, a paste and a no paste cloth?
5. Hanging or paddle strop?
6. Black, brown or natural color leather( not sure I have a preference but was interested I yours)?
7. Strop attachment: is the leather attached at the ends with a block of metal and a single screw, permanent fastener and cannot be removed, 2 Chicago screws or 3 Chicago screws?
8. What do you attach your hanging strop to?


That is all for now
Thanks
Frank

1. Barbers cut
2. Medium fast
3. Yes. Genuine Linen from Tony Miller
4. No
5. Hanging
6. Brown
7. Metal with single screw.
8. An old hook I found at an antique store screwed to a stud in the wall.

 

[Tony Miller]

I divide strops into two categories.

1) TM
2) other

Anything else I adapt to.

Thanks, you made me laugh out loud

 

[Fly2High]

I decided to order a Miller strop - the Plain Chocolate strop in 3".

Thanks for all the suggestions and preference details.

Frank

 

[StubbleTrouble]

1. Leather
2. I use three to four materials across the range
3. Linen
4. No paste
5. Hanging
6. No preference
7. Permanent fastener
8. Door knob or hook at waste level

 

[dws]

1. Leather handle
2. Medium-Fast
3. Linen
4. No paste
5. Hanging
6. No preference but currently use brown
7. 3 Chicago screws
8. Connected to an eye hook bolt inside my sink cabinet

 

[Bad_B]

I like D ring handles
Medium draw
Lenin or Canvas
Hanging clip
No real preference in colors
Chicago screws because i like putting fancy ones on for photos
I have a wire shelf system in the walk-in closet that the clips snap onto.

I tend to use my strops for photo props, they allow me to angle the razors just right. I like to have some contrast in my photos so canvas or a tight linen weave ads a neat texture to the composition. I also add fancy Chicago screws...well just because, lol.

 

[Jnatcat]

I have way to many strops, and really need to settle on 4 or 5, my current choices TM Spanish Bridle, TM Fast Bridle, Scrupple Works Oil Tanned, Kanayama 70, Rasurpur Paddle with two pasted panels and two unpasted, Westholme Roo, Italian HH and Cordovan ( all on loan for testing ) and one new Kanayama still wrapped.

Some of my strops have 3-ply handles, some D rings and some barber ends and I honestly don't have a clear choice but tend to lean towards the D rings

 

[migralda]

My first strop was from Revisor as part of a starter kit, needless to say it ended up getting cut etc.
I then bought a Westholme starter strop which is awesome, love the linen second surface. I used it so much the surface started to show signs of wear so I bought a Kanayama 60k... hmm jury is out!! Very poor hardware, very harsh second surface, which has settled a bit now. I like the draw but have to work a little to get a finished edge so I have ordered a new Westholme strop..A new leather to Alastair called "Double Horse Fronts" from the Horween Leather Company with barbers ends.
Should be with me soon.

 

[Bobski]

The second/piece on the #60000 you bought I believe is actually made by Red Imp. It arrives in Red Imp livery, and is 65mm wide, whereas the rest of the strop is 68mm. I love the cordovan surface draw and overall nice to strop on, but I agree about the canvas, it's stiff as a board when it arrives. I tend to use the linen webbing piece from another 3 inch wide Mountain strop. I like the barber's ends too. I have D rings on the Mountain strop.

 

[Guestabc]

looking for my first strop. I see there are lots of variety in them.

Do you prefer:

1. D ring or a leather handle?
2. Fast, medium or slow action?
3. Use cloth or not? If yes, what kind? Synthetic, cotton, linen, pressed felt or what?
4. Use paste or no paste or both, a paste and a no paste cloth?
5. Hanging or paddle strop?
6. Black, brown or natural color leather( not sure I have a preference but was interested I yours)?
7. Strop attachment: is the leather attached at the ends with a block of metal and a single screw, permanent fastener and cannot be removed, 2 Chicago screws or 3 Chicago screws?
8. What do you attach your hanging strop to?


That is all for now
Thanks
Frank

1. Have both Prefer Leather Handle
2. Like fast to medium fast ( Westholme / T. Miller )
3. English Linen, Cotton use them all during post shave maintenance
4. Used to use paste on Balsa Strop only, now Translucent Ark hone for a few laps prior to stropping
5. Hanging
6. No preference
7. (3) Chicago Screws, allows customization
8. Hooks attached via wall stud

And like Jay Mentioned Above
Tony Miller then the rest

 

[skimonster]

I see many of you gents have some admiral collections of strops. I get that the different combos of leather will have a a different feel to each hide used, and how that effects the draw, but would you say that if a blade of properly stropped on said leather, is the shaving result more of less the same, or do some leathers absolutely give you a cleaner, and sharper edge?

 

[Bad_B]

The edge will be the same off a high dollar shell cordovan horse hide strop as it would be off a bargain priced latigo leather, as long as no pastes or sprays were used.

 

[Slash McCoy]

looking for my first strop. I see there are lots of variety in them.

Do you prefer:

1. D ring or a leather handle?
2. Fast, medium or slow action?
3. Use cloth or not? If yes, what kind? Synthetic, cotton, linen, pressed felt or what?
4. Use paste or no paste or both, a paste and a no paste cloth?
5. Hanging or paddle strop?
6. Black, brown or natural color leather( not sure I have a preference but was interested I yours)?
7. Strop attachment: is the leather attached at the ends with a block of metal and a single screw, permanent fastener and cannot be removed, 2 Chicago screws or 3 Chicago screws?
8. What do you attach your hanging strop to?


That is all for now
Thanks
Frank

1. D ring both ends. That way it doesn't matter which end is up, and once in a while the strop gets flipped, so wear is even on both edges. Also if I do nick one edge, I can just flip it end for end and the nick is on the far edge.
2. Sort of medium. Some draw, but not sticky and draggy.
3. No cloth or felt or catfish skin or seatbelt webbing. Not needed. It serves zero purpose except to be sold for money to guys who think they need it. The hanging leather can do it all.
4. No pastes on a leather strop! It defeats the purpose of stropping. If you want to use abrasives, get some balsa, and lap it and prep it and use it as per this thread: How To Use a Pasted Balsa Strop | Badger & Blade.
5. Hanging leather. The very slight sag seems to be of benefit in burnishing and aligning the edge. Junk science, maybe. But it seems to be the real thing.
6. I like purple baby rhinoceros belly hide, tanned in blind cavern ocelot brains and dwarf papaya skin extracts. But do it like you feel it. If you think how now brown cow is the bee's knees, go for it. If leather made from a mule's backside sounds good, or you are thinking to jump right in to kangaroo pouch lining, or Mekong River catfish hide sounds pretty slick, go for it. You ill develop your own preferences later so I suggest just getting a strop, and cowhide works fine. I would insist on vegetable tanned hide, but then again most strop makers also insist on it, so it's a thing.
7. I recommend 3 Chicago screws, especially for a wider strop. Sometimes with use a strop will develop a cupped profile, with the middle sagging a tiny bit even with the edges pulled tight. The quick and dirty fix for that is to simply make the holes for the right and left hand chicago screws very slightly bigger, to release a smidgeon of tension along the edges so the middle is once again at the same tension as the sides. Two screws only for a very narrow strop. BTW I personally like a strop between 2-3/4" and 3". YMMV.
8. I hang mine from a hook screwed into a piece of mahogany running the length of the salon on my boat, above the short pilot berth and below the windows on the starboard side. Just mount a coathook somewhere on some solid wood. Or get an "S" hook and hang it from a hinghe on the bathroom door. or from a towel rack. Whatever. Anywhere between belly button and adams apple high, where you have room to flail away at it. if you hang it from a door hinge, don't forget to remove it or you could pop the door loose when you close it or someone else does.