Leather Strop vs Hard Balsa Strop

Which one makes a better strop for an absolute beginner. I just purchased my first straight and now I need a strop. I can get the ruprazor leather for $20 or a hard balsa strop for $16. Funds are tight, is there a valid reason to get one instead of the other, especially for a beginner?

For everyday use, even just to start go with Ken's Filly. The balsa strops are specifically for use with abrasive pastes to sharpen and the back of Ken's strop should come pasted.....it's like getting two for one.

For regular daily use you want just leather.

Tony

I don't think that a balsa strop would be a good choice for a daily strop, I'd go with a hanging leather stop

I know which balsa strop your talking about. Those are for touch ups with crox (done only when the blade gets a little dull). Also, unless your short on cash and time, you may want to reconsider balsa as a medium for chromium oxide. It does not work the same as a stone. There is a reason crox users prefer linen/cotton/hard felt as a medium for their pastes.

That said, a piece of balsa and crox is pretty darn cheap and very appealing at the price point. I think it comes out to less than $5 to make it yourself. Crox being the most expensive piece of that equation.

Thank you all - I will go with leather.

leighton said:

I think it comes out to less than $5 to make it yourself. Crox being the most expensive piece of that equation.

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Yup, just make one yourself. Very simple project. The Filly comes prepasted on the back with CrOx also.

Leche said:

Yup, just make one yourself. Very simple project. The Filly comes prepasted on the back with CrOx also.

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For an absolute beginner, the leather strop is really the most sensible choice for you. Without a leather strop, it would be very difficult, not impossible, for you to maintain your razor between shaves.

That said, there is a need for something else to re-juvinate the edge, when the strop just doesn't do it. That is usually where a barbers hone or diamond spray or crox comes in. I have personally found the diamond spray best if used on hard felt, and the crox best if used on hard balsa.

With this combination, you should be able to maintain your razor between honings for 3 months or longer, depending on the type of beard you have and your ability to use your tools.

This also seems a good place to point out that Hard Balsa Strop you, and others are talking about, includes more than just $5 worth of material. Consider this:

The hard maple used for the block is currently running $2.80/ft. Going to the lumber store and finding material that first doesn't have one end starting to wrap arount trying to touch the other and second you can't see both the top and the bottom when looking down the board, is a real chore today. This usually takes a long time to hand pick the pieces.

The next part is the Balsa. Your cost for AAA grade 1/4" x 3" balsa is $5.95 at any craft or hardware store. You can use thinner and cheaper, but remember, "if it's cheaper ---- it is!". Cheaper balsa generally has uneven hard and soft spots, resulting in an inconsistant surface.

The maple needs to be cut to width and then length. Six sides need to be sanded flat and smooth and then 12 edges need to be beveled. The balsa needs to be cut to length, stacked and sanded smooth on all edges.

Balsa is then glued, aliged and clamped in position on the maple base. After the glue sets, the balsa is then sanded smooth.

The balsa surface is then infused with the proper amount of Handamerican Chromium Oxide. This crox is guaranteed 99.9% pure and a micron rating of between 0.3 and 0.5. Again, you can get cheaper crox and it is.

Once this is done, the board is ready to wrap and supply the feet for. The instruction sheet is printed and both are packaged in a bubble envelope that is purchased at Office Max and the shipping label is printed.

Next the trip to the post office. Generally Conus shipping cost around $2.40, which is also part of the sales price. Trip back to the shop and start all over again.

There is no one getting rich producing these Hard Balsa Strops, but they are both a professional looking product and produce the results you expect.


Ray

Ray,
I checked out your storefront and products and consider them a bargain. I would not even try to produce a similar bench strop, leather or balsa for $16.

Yes, a home hobbiest may be able spend a small amout less but in the end the time could be better spent elsewhere and buying the tool ready to go is the better deal.

I ran some similar ones a year or so ago and mine were nearly double in cost.

Leather hanging strops and balsa paddles are both very effective tools but they have completely different applications. I think both, in one form or another, are needed.

Nice work!

Tony