Can you pls explain the difference between these two?

[Tedolph]

No one tell him about the 90k.

What 90k?

Is that something I can get upset about?

 

[KrstGor]

I am quarreling with myself. I am the one who misidentified the cinch strap on a saddle as a "bridal". I was too late to edit or delete my post so I made a corrective post. No intention to hijack the thread. My comment still stands: $100.00+ is a lot to pay for a strop.

Which is perfectly OK. How and ever I asked about specific differences between these two particular stops and with all due respect am not at all interested to be lectured what you (or anyone else for that matter) feels they would or would not spend.

It's my money, my choice. I'm old enough to decide if a 100 bucks is too much or not.

Thank you.

 

[KrstGor]

The draw is the main difference. I have used both and they are both excellent quality. If you want a lower price, his Plain versions are great options. I have never been able to tell the difference in the edge quality between strops.

@Tony Miller is an excellent person to deal with and a member of this forum. If he does not reply to this thread, pm him. He is very responsive. He does not work on Sundays, so give him until tomorrow at least to respond.

Tnx so much!!

 

[Aldwyn]

Before you see yourself to the door, the 90K is a strop made by Kanayama. It usually sells for over $400.

 

[TheLegalRazor]

I have them both. Either one is an excellent choice and will do an equal job on the blade. As has been suggested, the Notovan has a lighter draw than the Steerhide. This is entirely a matter of personal choice.

There is one other factor to consider. The Notovan is 5 oz. leather, and the Steerhide is 8-9 oz. leather. As a result, the Notovan is significantly thinner than the Steerhide. Once, again, this is a matter of personal preference. If you want the light draw of horsehide, but in leather thicker than the Notovan, you have the option of Tony's Horsehide, which is 7 oz. leather.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Before you see yourself to the door, the 90K is a strop made by Kanayama. It usually sells for over $400.

As I recall, Star Shaving used to market a latigo strop at 90K and a bridle strop at 120K for the same price minus a zero, claiming that it all boiled down to the grass that the chosen cows were feeding upon.

 

[azwetshaver]

Tnx so much!!

You're welcome. I have pm'ed him about strops before. He will assist you in purchasing the right strop. He may even suggest another strop, depending on what you are looking for.

 

[KrstGor]

I have them both. Either one is an excellent choice and will do an equal job on the blade. As has been suggested, the Notovan has a lighter draw than the Steerhide. This is entirely a matter of personal choice.

There is one other factor to consider. The Notovan is 5 oz. leather, and the Steerhide is 8-9 oz. leather. As a result, the Notovan is significantly thinner than the Steerhide. Once, again, this is a matter of personal preference. If you want the light draw of horsehide, but in leather thicker than the Notovan, you have the option of Tony's Horsehide, which is 7 oz. leather.

Thanks! This is very valuable info indeed. I'd probably prefer a thicker one.

 

[Suhrim21]

You can send @Tony Miller he Is on this forum and can give you all the info you need.

 

[Slash McCoy]

No way I would pay the much for a strop. People used to use old belts or horse's saddle bridals (the thing that goes around the belly).!

That's not a "bridal". (I think you meant "bridle" which would be the assembly of narrow straps that holds the bitt in the horse's mouth and the reins which allow the rider to easily communicate his wishes to the horse. The bridle parts are all MUCH too narrow, in the first place) I think you mean the girth. AKA cinch in some circles. It's leather but it's not a strop. Well, SOME are leather. Practically none are even remotely usable as a strop. Go to your local saddle shop and have a look. You are just pulling ideas out of the aether that are totally disconnected from reality. And a belt makes a terrible strop. Especially an old one! You can get a proper strop for as little as $30 or $40, and an expendable sacrificial learner strop for less than $10. Get a proper strop, or make one yourself if you can't stand the idea of buying one from someone who knows what he's doing. It doesn't have to be exotic. Ordinary veg tanned steer hide works just fine. The difference is the tactile feel and feedback. The end result on the razor is essentially the same between strops of decent construction. That's not to say that a nice shell cordovan strop isn't a worthwhile investment, because they are a joy to use, but you can go pretty cheap and still have a proper strop that will do a good job stropping your razor. And the prices for Tony's Notovan are not out of line, nor the price for his premium steerhide, especially if you like that type of construction. And you would know the guy who made it. No disconnected and uncaring $12/hr factory slug who might be bussing tables or washing cars next week. Just sayin. Yeah you can go a lot cheaper, and if you want to, then you should. If you can't appreciate a high quality strop then you shouldn't pay for one. But if the price was unrealistic, nobody would buy either one and he would no longer be trying to sell them. I bet he sells every strop he makes, and doesn't need a warehouse to store his excess output for the stropocalypse.

 

[Slash McCoy]

As I recall, Star Shaving used to market a latigo strop at 90K and a bridle strop at 120K for the same price minus a zero, claiming that it all boiled down to the grass that the chosen cows were feeding upon.

HAHA! I had a Big Daddy and it was my daily driver for quite some time. Not bad, that strop, and the price was right and there was plenty of real estate there to work with. I much lamented the passing of Star Shaving.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Thanks and yes, I'm 46.

I was looking at a 3' ones, as I'm new to this. I guess I'd prefer a wider strop, to avoid X strokes.

You should still use a bit of x stroke action, even on a wide strop. It just works. About a half inch of sideways travel is enough, a full inch is good, too. Whatever blows your kilt up. X stroke. It's the right thing to do.

 

[KrstGor]

You should still use a bit of x stroke action, even on a wide strop. It just works. About a half inch of sideways travel is enough, a full inch is good, too. Whatever blows your kilt up. X stroke. It's the right thing to do.

Thanks @Slash McCoy , I always appreciate your advice!

 

[stone and strop]

Tony's strops are a very good value. Not overpriced at all.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Well, sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way. This is not a restricted "club" at all, but it is an open discussion forum and you made a remark that was obviously not drawn on your experience, since neither belt nor saddle girth make good strops. No reason to run off just because you stuck your foot in your mouth. Happens to a lot of guys. And look how much you learned already! Stick around and learn some more. Ask questions. That's always safe.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I apologized and I now apologize again. However you are taking offense at being called out on a claim that was at best, erroneous hearsay. Go into any saddle shop or look online and tell me how many girths you see are a single piece of flat leather with no cloth or foam or padding or stitching or whatever. Even if, after it has been used a while, do you think that the leather, if it was fit for stropping on even when new, is still up to the task after any real use? A girth is leather. Well, some are. A lot are nylon these days. But what if it is leather? That doesn't make it a strop. You can show me where you got that from and I will still say (1) that a girth is not a strop, even an all leather one, and (2) it is no cheaper than a proper strop, and (3) you repeated something that just wasn't so, presenting it as fact, as if you had some relevant knowledge. Be careful parroting stuff on the internet. Now you don't have to walk on tip toes here, but be aware that this is the internet and if your skin is TOO thin, you won't have a good time of it.

Now to get back to the same vendor who you think charges too much for a strop, I think he has his very basic poor cousin strop for $30? Is that right? And it will do the job. You could also go with ebay seller theexbay and his 2-1/2" wide strop. Not much of a strop, but adequate for learning. Larry's "Poor Man" strop at www.whippeddog.com is a popular learner strop. You can pay chimp change, or a royal ransom for a strop. On you.

Now, would you rather nobody responded to your posts? Or only responded in a manner that makes you feel good? Okay. I get that. We see guys like this come through here and through other online forums. Usually if nobody responds, it means you are being ignored. Just sayin. Guys rag on me all the time for saying stuff that they disagree with. This is the internet. Do get over it. So... friends now? If not, you can always put me on ignore and I won't be able to irritate you again. But irritation was not my goal.

 

[gary haywood]

I have used all of Tony’s strop

Hi all,

I am after a good quality strop, but nothing fancy. In particular, I've been looking at these two strops from Tony Miller:

https://heirloomrazorstrop.com/shop?olsPage=products%2F2-1-slash-2-artisan-notovan-horsehide-premium-old-no-2-strop&page=1

View attachment 1100841

https://heirloomrazorstrop.com/shop?olsPage=products%2F3-artisan-premium-steerhide-strop

View attachment 1100842

I understand these are good quality "everyday" strops.

Other than color, is there any REAL difference between the two? One says "light draw", the other one "light to medium draw".

What about the actual leather? One is AFAIU a Cordovan imitation, made out of horsehide. The other one is plain cowhide.

My goal is to get ONE quality strop.

Would either of the above two be a good choice? (If not - why not?)

If so, which one and why?

Note: I know that it is darn hard for some of you Pros and collectors to explain why I should get both and decide for myself and then get another 2 dozen, but PLS don't bother. I only want one quality strop. My grandpa had one for probably 50 years back in his day. I'm convinced that "less is more".

My set budget is up to $200. I've absolutely no interest in looking at $1000 strops, just as I'm not pursuing $1000 SRs made of Damascus, with diamond-adorned handles or any of that stuff. I need a tool, not a piece of jewelry.

Thanks so much!!

I have both the notaven leather is little thinner and also has a kind of magnetic draw which hugs the razor I think this would be better for users with less experience as you have more control when stripping . The steer hide is faster firmer leather and has kind of buttery feel during stropping . You can not go wrong with any of Tony’s strop s .

buy both

 

[ClemsonTigerz]

Are y’all arguing horse hockey or strops in here?

I’m also on the market for a quality strop- the one I own now is a GBS strop which is perfect for now because I’m still hammering down technique and form- still kinda learning although for the most part I’ve got the hang of it- the good thing about it is I do t care if I destroy it- but I want that all out of my system before investing in my “forever strop”. Tony Miller has been on my radar, but I want to know that I’m relatively good to go in stropping technique before actually getting one. Sometimes it feels like I either nailed the strop or could’ve done better from shave to shave. Sometimes I think it’s my razor technique and not the strop. Either way, when I get this hammered down, I’ll have my strop. Until then, my “el cheapo“ GBS job will have to do.

 

[David]

I think we're back on track and on topic now. Carry on gents.

 

[ClemsonTigerz]

Just looked at the 90k- never heard of it until just now. For $295, I think they can soften the canvas for me.....just saw the laundry list of things they want you do 3x before even using the canvas. For the money, I’d rather use the denim strop I made by hand and forgo this little process. This is from their page-


=====How To Make Softer Canvas Strop=====

It is kind of hard work, but if you will try to do it, please do like below:

Put on body soap (solid one), and wash it away

Put on the canvas strop on the wood board, and pounding with wooden hammer on the round portion of the wood hammer side to kill the tough fibers.

Washing by brush

Rubbing solid body soap

Washing by brush

Wrapping by Nagura to polish the surface of the canvas strop

Washing by washing machine

Drying at shade a couple days

Putting on body soap by brush

Wrapping by beer bottle strongly

Please do the all above processes three times

For $300, I want that already done