Horsehide, Premium leather, Latigo?

Alright I have to say that I know nothing about strops and I am trying to figure out what is the best. I was reading about the different strops at SRD and I saw they offer 3 different types, Horsehide, Premium leather & Latigo. I really dont know what is better between the three or what is the difference in draw, except for the price and the obvious types of material used.

There probably is another thread about this but I couldnt seem to find anything. Any help/opinions is appreciated.

Oh yea this is going to by my first strop that I buy so I would rather spend the money on something that will last me for a couple of years.

Thanks for your help,
Brian

Buy whats affordable for you. You won't be able to tell the difference and there is a high probability that you will nick your first one as most people do.

Yeah. To be honest I would save your money and get something less expensive for your first one. You will probably trash it. The rup filly is probably a good bet.

I am just upgrading now from my Tony miller practice strop after about a year. It shows some battle scars.

life2short1971 said:

Buy whats affordable for you. You won't be able to tell the difference and there is a high probability that you will nick your first one as most people do.

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I forgot to add that I have a beginner strop on the way to practice on. Sorry about that.

In my opinion, you would be best served to buy the Premium I or the SRD Premium IV English Bridle. Horsehair is nice, but it takes a lot of use before it is really an effectual piece of kit (several months). Latigo is the same deal, but you have to deal with oil and wax leeching out while it's breaking in...

Personally, I love the Premium IV. It's very good, and comes ready to use (read effective). After a couple of weeks it is excellent. The synthetic material is very effective, but it isn't exactly in keeping with the "romantic" ideals that attracted me to straight razor shaving.

Also, instead of going cheap, I'd rather get something effective and good. The SRD strops are an excellent value in my opinion, and you can replace the leather should you nick it up too much.

I just read the description of the Premium IV Strop and it sounds really nice. Like you said there is no upkeep at all, which is great. The price isnt bad for what you get so all in all it seems like a great deal.

I would recommend an Ambrose horsehide strop. His new horsehide is IMO on par if not better than my Tony Miller horsehide. Prices are very good too.

Then again, I love the classical barber's end of his strops.

Harvitz81 said:

I would recommend an Ambrose horsehide strop. His new horsehide is IMO on par if not better than my Tony Miller horsehide. Prices are very good too.

Then again, I love the classical barber's end of his strops.

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I actually sent him a PM so hopefully he can fit me in with the production of his next strop. If not the search is still on. Thanks!

All opinions are appreciated

Harvitz81 said:

I would recommend an Ambrose horsehide strop. His new horsehide is IMO on par if not better than my Tony Miller horsehide. Prices are very good too.

Then again, I love the classical barber's end of his strops.

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+1
I just got a premium soft horsehide from Ambrose and it is a study in functional simplicity. No nonsense, nothing that does not need to be there. Besides being a really nice strop they are reasonably priced.

I think you can't miss no matter what you choose. There is another reputable vendor here http://thesuperiorshave.comthat sells both horsehide, bridle, and even cordovan strops. His prices are also cheaper than some of the other vendors mentioned here and he consistently gets good reviews for his service. Plus, just like other vendors, his strops have modular design and replaceable components if you damage something.

I'd say get a cheap one because you will nick it (unless someone tutors you).