When I first started using a razor I bought a cheap £30 3 inch strop from Etsy.
It was a buck skin type and had no linen component.
But it was nice and smooth and served me well.
I nicked it a few times which reduced it’s workable surface by about half but it served it’s purpose.
A couple of years ago I bought a travel strop of about a foot long and 2 inches wide which had a linen component.
Not great linen or leather but useable.
I found the linen part of the travel strop pretty invaluable when smoothing out a freshly honed edge and I would also do 20 laps on the linen each morning before going to the 3inch leather strop.
I wanted an upgrade, and to streamline by having just one strop with a nice linen component and a full usable surface area of a quality leather.
On advice from a friend, I got in touch with Torolf from Scrupleworks in Norway who makes quality leather razor strops.
I told him I was looking to upgrade my current basic strop and he recommended a 3 inch Horween oil tanned horse strop with natural linen and a stainless handle.
Torolf also offers practice strops to trial the other leathers he has so I ordered one of those too in his Swedish bridle leather.
The two strops and postage came to about £150.
There’s a 5 week wait while Torolf makes the strops and sends them on and mine arrived yesterday.
I cut the box open and got a great rich scent of leather.
I unwrapped the strops.
The 3 inch horse strop leather is a dark brown chocolate colour with a nice leathery scent.
It has a lovely brushed cotton component on the back with a nice grey/brown colour.
The Swedish bridle trial strop is a lovely deep green leather about 1.5 inches across and about 18 inches long.
Both look and feel nice quality objects and a big step up to what I’d been used to.
I hung the two strops on my hook, grabbed a freshly honed slate edged Gold Dollar, and gave it a go.
First on the linen.
This brushed cotton was a hell of a lot nicer than the cheap linen I’d been using. It was a much coarser grain but soft and felt beautiful under the razor.
I did 20 laps just enjoying the new feel of the cotton and enjoying the 3 inch width as my cheap linen travel strop is about 2 inches wide.
I then turned the oil tanned horse strop over and started to strop on that.
It immediately had a really nice smooth easy feel and will improve further over time as it breaks in and flattens after being curved a little in transit.
Next I gave the Swedish Bridle a try.
It’s a thicker stiffer leather, great colour.
I really enjoyed using it and it’s 1.5 inches width was surprisingly easy to strop on.
Really happy with both strops they’re just what I’d wanted in an upgrade and I’m going to enjoy using them and seeing how they break in.
It was a buck skin type and had no linen component.
But it was nice and smooth and served me well.
I nicked it a few times which reduced it’s workable surface by about half but it served it’s purpose.
A couple of years ago I bought a travel strop of about a foot long and 2 inches wide which had a linen component.
Not great linen or leather but useable.
I found the linen part of the travel strop pretty invaluable when smoothing out a freshly honed edge and I would also do 20 laps on the linen each morning before going to the 3inch leather strop.
I wanted an upgrade, and to streamline by having just one strop with a nice linen component and a full usable surface area of a quality leather.
On advice from a friend, I got in touch with Torolf from Scrupleworks in Norway who makes quality leather razor strops.
I told him I was looking to upgrade my current basic strop and he recommended a 3 inch Horween oil tanned horse strop with natural linen and a stainless handle.
Torolf also offers practice strops to trial the other leathers he has so I ordered one of those too in his Swedish bridle leather.
The two strops and postage came to about £150.
There’s a 5 week wait while Torolf makes the strops and sends them on and mine arrived yesterday.
I cut the box open and got a great rich scent of leather.
I unwrapped the strops.
The 3 inch horse strop leather is a dark brown chocolate colour with a nice leathery scent.
It has a lovely brushed cotton component on the back with a nice grey/brown colour.
The Swedish bridle trial strop is a lovely deep green leather about 1.5 inches across and about 18 inches long.
Both look and feel nice quality objects and a big step up to what I’d been used to.
I hung the two strops on my hook, grabbed a freshly honed slate edged Gold Dollar, and gave it a go.
First on the linen.
This brushed cotton was a hell of a lot nicer than the cheap linen I’d been using. It was a much coarser grain but soft and felt beautiful under the razor.
I did 20 laps just enjoying the new feel of the cotton and enjoying the 3 inch width as my cheap linen travel strop is about 2 inches wide.
I then turned the oil tanned horse strop over and started to strop on that.
It immediately had a really nice smooth easy feel and will improve further over time as it breaks in and flattens after being curved a little in transit.
Next I gave the Swedish Bridle a try.
It’s a thicker stiffer leather, great colour.
I really enjoyed using it and it’s 1.5 inches width was surprisingly easy to strop on.
Really happy with both strops they’re just what I’d wanted in an upgrade and I’m going to enjoy using them and seeing how they break in.