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Barber end strops: Yea or Nay?

Barber end strops: Yea or Nay?


  • Total voters
    36
My first strop is still going strong eight months in with no nicks or cuts. Unfortunately this has left me with little excuse to buy a replacement but I thought it would be good to get a spare. You know. Just in case...

My original TM 3” Horsehide has D pulls which work great but I thought it might be time to try something different. I am eyeing up a Kanayama or Westholme and thought a barber end might be worth a go. Are these easy to use? Any benefits in terms of feedback? To those that have tried a few; what is your favorite strop end?
 
I have arthritis and struggle with my hands but only use barber's end and have no complaints. IMO you don’t need a gorilla grip to hold a strop and a big YMMV must be applied.

a Minimalistic approach and vintage look is what appeals to me so this is how I like my strops, no “stuff”, only quality leather and 19” of goodness.

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I have mixed feelings, probably because of my strop technique I feel some hand fatigue when using barber’s end strops.
I prefer d-rings or metal handles like Scrupleworks uses
 
I'd say it really doesn't matter how the ends are made, as long as it's a good quality, supple piece of leather. I also think a good Kanoyama can't be beaten that easily... For your second strop, you could do helluva lot worse. Go for it!

Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk
 
I have no issues with my Kanayama, I don't miss a real handle at all.
In fact, I will say I prefer the "barber end" over anything else now, I feel like it gives me more control.
 
At first the barber end was a bit uncomfortable but got used to after a few tries. Don’t really miss using d rings, but I have no preference with what I’m using really.
 
I have a leather handle on an old used strop, and a D ring on my TM strop. I really like the D ring. Always wondered if I could handle a barber's end as my hands are always sore with arthritis.
 
barber ends are all I have...I just wrap it around my forefinger and hold in place with my thumb and pull.....after a while it becomes second nature.

Larry
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
A barber end totally defeats cupping if you get the hang of using it. One less bit of hardware, saves a few bucks. However, I prefer a simple D ring secured with a bolster piece and three Chicago screws on each end. This allows you to hang it either end up. Wear is distributed. And if you slice up one edge of the strop, just hang it the other way up and the nick is then on the left hand edge. To correct cupping, if rubbing with a cupped hand doesn't fix it, just slightly enlarge the side holes while leaving the centerline holes alone, and more tension is then on the centerline area with a tiny bit of slack toward the edges. Problem solved.

It is hard to find good D rings that are big enough for a 3" strop and to find them cheaply. When I find some, I pounce and get a lot of them. So they can be pretty cheap, less than a couple bucks each. Yeah I got some fancy ones from a saddle shop but funny thing is, the plain ones work just as good as the pimped out ones.

Bottom line, you may well enjoy using a barber end strop and I can almost guarantee that you will not dislike it. I have a Kanayama with a barber end in my stable of strops and I enjoy using it, but my (slight) preference is for two D rings each with three Chicago screws. YMMV.
 
Sorry for the interuption/ignorance...what is barber end? I see threds talking about it but none showing/explaining it.
 
All of my strops have barber ends except for 3, one of which was my first strop. As I gained more experience, I gravitated to the vintage style and simplicity of barber ends. They are very easy to use and control.

Similar to the various razor grinds, it’s fun trying out the various types of strops to get an idea of what you prefer.
 

Tony Miller

Speaking of horse butts…
I prefer them over strops with hardware. I ued to make them all the time but demand for that style has certainly dropped and everyone seems to want D-ring or handles. Wanted to do another run of them but sadly there is no 2 1/2" linen, only cotton now which may drop demand even more. Upon request I am lays happy to make them again.

I find them easy to hold once you get used to it and develop the right grip. I do feel they are best limited to 2 1/2" as a 3" wide piece of leather just seems harder to hold without distorting unless you have some sort of stabilizing end cap setp.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Sorry for the interuption/ignorance...what is barber end? I see threds talking about it but none showing/explaining it.
It's nothing.






Literally nothing. The strop simply ends. Cut off square. No hardware, no stitching. It simply is.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
If you do get a barber end strop and decide you don't like it, it is a simple matter to cut a bolster piece out of some veg tanned leather, trim it to fit, punch holes, and add a D ring to your strop.
 
I like barbers end strops, but I especially like the modified barbers end available on some strops in Keith's etsy shop. That's my preferred strop ending.
 
All my strops are Barber cut. I much prefer then to D rings or handles.
They also let you hold both components tight together while stropping giving extra equal support while stropping on either side.
It may also be the reason Barbers used them as they were taught to hold both components at the same time.
They have made strops with handles forever but you won't see one hanging on a Barbers chair
 
It may help my tendency to over stretch if I did not have a handle. For some reason my instincts say that strop needs to be fiddle string tight. Then in the process of pulling so hard, I end up putting to much pressure on the razor. For me it seems less pressure while stropping ends in a better edge for me. I do believe my next strop will be a barbers end. Thanks all

Idea of my instincts for stropping.... I used 3" screws and made sure I hit the stud when securing my strop hanger to the wall. My strop has a square "ring" on the end so I used a piece of 1/8 x 1 cold rolled curled on the end to hang it ( it also has a ring and a cup welded to it to hold my straight). I dare say it ain't a comin off
 
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