Usable Strops

[TstebinsB]

Are these two strops usable? I was thinking of getting them and offering them to newbies. The bottom leather looks rotten.

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/2940/picture109q.jpg

[mparker762]

They both look dry-rotted, it's just more obvious on the bottom one because of the color. You could fix it pretty easily with a bit of leather from your local Tandy Leather outlet though...

[TstebinsB]

I never would've guessed that the top one had any issues.

[TstebinsB]

What type of leather should I get? Latigo? Cowhide?

[Thebigspendur]

I don't think the kind of leather really matters that much. The important thing is the quality of the leather. Something really smooth with no visible imperfections, fat lines, creases etc.