Ebay strops, good or bad?

[holiday]

I need a strop to start my straight experience. I have been looking at cheaper ones on ebay old and new. Could it be a waste of time and should I just go for a new one from Dovo or the like.
I don't really know about the differences in strops or the problems of damaged strops.
I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Utopian]

Generally the cheap new ones, like from Zeepk, are absolute crap and should be avoided regardless of how cheap they are. For old ones, you need to confirm that a) there is no damage to the leather and b) the strop can lay flat. Many older strops have been stored away in drawers or boxes and have been folded over for many years. These strops can be really difficult to ever get straight.

 

[leighton]

Buy Ken's $20 filly strop. www.ruprazor.com

 

[Ohio]

Buy Ken's $20 filly strop. www.ruprazor.com

This.

Cheap trash is worse than useless; it teaches bad habits and discourages people who think that the resultant failure is their fault.

 

[Thebigspendur]

Eboy doesn't make strops they just sell stuff so you have to evaluate each item individually. There's the good, bad and ugly out there.

My advice is get yourself a new Tony Miller Strop.

 

[holiday]

Thanks guys, I am in the UK so Tony Miller was not really an option due to shipping and import costs.
Neil Miller, based in UK is making one for me and I just had to buy one of his straights as well.
Cant wait to receive said goods

 

[Lavaine]

Everyone recommends A Filly or TM practice strop to start with, but if you live outside the US, the shipping costs are prohibitive. $21.00 shipping for a TM, and $14.00 for a Rup Filly. Must be to make up for all that free shipping within the US. A $34 Filly is no longer an inexpensive practice strop that you will probably end up damaging.

 

[Ohio]

Everyone recommends A Filly or TM practice strop to start with, but if you live outside the US, the shipping costs are prohibitive. $21.00 shipping for a TM, and $14.00 for a Rup Filly. Must be to make up for all that free shipping within the US. A $34 Filly is no longer an inexpensive practice strop that you will probably end up damaging.

Then do what I have just done.

Find a local harness-shop or leather-worker.

Ask him for a 25" (or 640 mm) cowhide or latigo strap with D-rings on each end.
2.5-3" width.

Pay him $15 or equivalent.

Profit.


My local Amish guy will take the metal from a junk old strop, add a cowhide and a latigo strap (2 straps), add a D-ring handle to each one, 27" on each strap, and charge me $20 for the work.

Stitched, not riveted.

I will break it in, CrOx the back of one of the straps, and be all set.

 

[Leche]

Must be to make up for all that free shipping within the US.

Tony charged me the exact cost to ship it. The label proved it. I doubt Ken or Tony are trying to gouge you guys.

 

[TstebinsB]

Everyone recommends A Filly or TM practice strop to start with, but if you live outside the US, the shipping costs are prohibitive. $21.00 shipping for a TM, and $14.00 for a Rup Filly. Must be to make up for all that free shipping within the US. A $34 Filly is no longer an inexpensive practice strop that you will probably end up damaging.

I don't know why you would make such a statement. It's ridiculous to think that they are trying to make a profit or recoup money off the shipping charges. Besides that, your post was inaccurate because shipping has never been free within the US. Instead of disparaging two respected vendors with a wild statement, a better post would've been to recommend a cheaper option for people outside the US.

 

[Lavaine]

TM does not specify US shipping on his site that I can see. My fault for assuming it was included in the price. Ken Rup clearly states on his site that US shipping is INCLUDED.
>All prices include shipping to US addresses. International shipping is a flat rate $14.00.
So in other words, shipping to Canada is $14 on top of the built-in price of shipping to the US. I don't know how these strops are shipped, but I do know that a box shipped from the US to Canada that can easily hold a rolled strop (much as you would roll a belt), would be about $5-7 to ship.
I'm glad that you don't find $34 for a Filly prohibitively expensive. Are you willing to pay that to have one shipped to New York? I think I made a fair statement that with international shipping factored in, these are no longer reasonable 'budget' starter strops.
I would love to buy a Filly to start off with, but I can't justify almost doubling the cost with shipping included. I'm sure that at some point I will buy a Paladin or a TM strop, but I can't pay that kind of shipping for what many members suggest will be a throw away strop, as I will likely damage it.

 

[Kirenaaz]

If you don't have any leather workers or SCA groups in the area, horse tack supply shops are good.

Went in and bought a hybrid(non-specific breed of cow) red latigo billet strap. They have holes punched at both ends. I cut it in half, rigged two metal fasteners, added a D-ring to the end of each and made two strops. Cost me about $25cdn each and I'm considering pasting the backside to see how it goes.

Sure it might have cost me more this way, but at least I get to say that I made it myself.

Edit: Before pasting the back of one, I think giving Seraphim's 'Lithuanian finish strop' treatment a try.

 

[Tony Miller]

Just a few cents on shipping costs in fairness to any vendors, Kenrup or myself included.

I use Priority Mail only. In the USA my website calculates the cost from the Post Office website. It is usually within a dollar or so of actual cost. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower. If it looks way too high I refund a dollar or two, if too low I eat the difference.....many, many times.

For international I use Priority as well. Actual cost of a 1 to 1 1/2 pound boxed strop to Canada is $20, to the rest of the world is $29.75. If that seems too high blame the postal service. Using Priority 99% of my boxes arrive as they should. I think if my international customers who ordered more than one item checked their labels many would find that their $29.75 payment cost me $30 to $34 to ship.

I used to use First Class International mail instead. Canada was around $11 or $12, the rest of the world was $18 to $22. In the first 5 months of 2008 I had over $400 of mail NOT arrive. First class cannot be insured and I refunded or replaced these lost sales from my own pocket. That was the end of First Class mail for me.

The costs are what they are. It is a shame international shipping is what it is but that is not my fault. I really understand having a budget as well. There are more and more choices in the UK for strops and any of those would be better than an ebay strop. I am sure the Dovo or Jemico strops could be found easily in Europe and are really the best bargain for those living there.

Tony

Tony

 

[Tony Miller]

Then do what I have just done.
Find a local harness-shop or leather-worker.
Ask him for a 25" (or 640 mm) cowhide or latigo strap with D-rings on each end.
2.5-3" width.
Pay him $15 or equivalent.
Profit.
My local Amish guy will take the metal from a junk old strop, add a cowhide and a latigo strap (2 straps), add a D-ring handle to each one, 27" on each strap, and charge me $20 for the work.
Stitched, not riveted.
I will break it in, CrOx the back of one of the straps, and be all set.

If you have a local leather worker this is really the cheapest way to go, especially for a beginner type strop. Many times you can look at the leather first and see if it is suitable, the leather worker will likely not know anything about stropping so your own input is important.

Tony

 

[Ohio]

If you have a local leather worker this is really the cheapest way to go, especially for a beginner type strop. Many times you can look at the leather first and see if it is suitable, the leather worker will likely not know anything about stropping so your own input is important.

Tony

It helps if you can find an old Amish fellow.

Alvin Yoder used to make a lot of strops, but can't find the hanging hardware anymore; I either need to find out where established artisans get theirs (hint) or cannibalize strops that are past their usable lifetimes if I want to get a few m ore made.
I have no intention of going into any kind of steady business, but if I can get a few more made up and saved back it would be nice.

ETA: I mis-stated the length in my post above; it is a normal length strop, not 27".

 

[Tony Miller]

Many of my Amish friends have used strops way back when but none remembered every making any. I have Amish friends make my handles using a die I designed and their press. Mine is way too small for any kind of production. Another friend turns the wooden blanks for my paddles which saves me some time but other than that I make everything else here which accounts for the price difference between their world and mine. While I'm a spitting cousin to the Amish, a Brethren, I am in a big city with big city costs.

Sorry I can't help on the hardware supply. I already gave away too many secrets and now have copies of my strops competing with my own. Such is business.

Tony

 

[Ohio]

Many of my Amish friends have used strops way back when but none remembered every making any. I have Amish friends make my handles using a die I designed and their press. Mine is way too small for any kind of production. Another friend turns the wooden blanks for my paddles which saves me some time but other than that I make everything else here which accounts for the price difference between their world and mine. While I'm a spitting cousin to the Amish, a Brethren, I am in a big city with big city costs.

Sorry I can't help on the hardware supply. I already gave away too many secrets and now have copies of my strops competing with my own. Such is business.

Tony

I understand about the secrets, no problems.
My wife best friend is Brethren, here in Amish land (Logan county, Ohio).

Not a lot of them about. Reformed Presbyterian myself, elder in the local congregation.

Maybe I should post a WTB for junk strops with good hardware.

 

[ozzy_scl]

Try with n1elus on Ebay, I have before (not with strops, but a 12k hone) is UK. based, a member of B&B and a pleasure to deal with.

Someone bought a strop from him, and he said it was great.

Let us know.

I have the link to his e-store, if you need it, PM me.

 

[Lavaine]

Tony,

Thanks for explaining the difference between First Class and Priority International. It is a shame that in this high-tech era, the post office still manages to lose that much mail! I may consider the homemade route until I figure out what I want in the way of a strop. The Artisan strops are works of art, but are a steep investment for a new user that finds out in three months that straights aren't for him. Hopefully in three months I'll be a confirmed striaght razor user and looking for a lifetime strop.

 

[Tony Miller]

Chris,
No offense taken, just trying to clarify why costs are what they are. Grab a basic Dovo or Jemico and i do think they could be found on ebay. At least the materials are good quality, where as the cheap imports often have very stiff, hard leather.

I don't know if Neil Miller makes a basic strop but with a name like Miller his stuff must be good

Tony