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I have found Strop Nirvana, and its name is Kanayama

Since we're discussing Kanayama, how many of you have tried either the Neil Miller or Torolf linen with yours? I know Jarrod at TSS carries the 3" linen "replacement." I know about the big debate over at coticule.be that started late last year about the Kanayama linen, and I'm aware of the exceptional qualities of it once broken in, especially for Coticule users.

Price, what will you use for linen with your 65k since it's dual leather?
 
I am very happy you love the strop Price. It is as beautiful a piece of work as can be found, imho. I'd swear you can feel the love of the craftsman for his endeavor when you hold the strop in your hands and gaze at it!
 
Beautiful strops over there. I hadn't even looked at them before. You, good sir, are indeed an enabler. :001_tongu
 
so, what you're saying is, that this strop is better than my cosmetically flawed strop from WhippedDog? Forgive my ignorance, but what makes the $200+ strop actually better over lesser priced variants?
 
What makes a pair of designer Italian shoes worth more than a pair of shoes from Payless (non US: Payless is home to $10 cheap imported shoes that have the tendency to fall apart). With Kanayama you're paying not only for the prestigious name behind it, but for the utmost quality and craftsmanship. Naomi-san uses top quality cordovan leather to create his aesthetically pleasing hand-made strops that are designed to last a lifetime.

That being said, Kanayama is not the only premium strop maker. Torolf's Scrupleworks branded strops, the Horween tanned strops (Walkin Horse & Imperial Shave), and Tony Miller strops come to mind.
 
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so, what you're saying is, that this strop is better than my cosmetically flawed strop from WhippedDog? Forgive my ignorance, but what makes the $200+ strop actually better over lesser priced variants?

Well, the short answer is "yes", but a qualified "yes". Were I just starting out, I don't believe I would have been able to discern any performance difference, not to mention the sheer folly of trying to learn stropping technique on an uber-expensive strop. Sure, it looks a hell of a lot nicer hanging in the bathroom, but that would have been it. As you become more familiar with, and more skilled at, stropping, you start to notice the little differences between the different leathers, that differentiate a "premium" strop from, say, that Whipped Dog. Are the differences worth it? That is a question I couldn't begin to answer - for you. For me, once I had the opportunity to try the Kanayama, I haven't wanted to use anything else, so for me the answer is yes. I would recommend you stick with what you've got until you feel completely comfortable with your stropping technique. Then, when (not if) the urge to explore other options grabs you, find out for yourself what your perfect strop is.
 
so, what you're saying is, that this strop is better than my cosmetically flawed strop from WhippedDog? Forgive my ignorance, but what makes the $200+ strop actually better over lesser priced variants?

Not to take anything away from Larry's strops. They are great.........but a Toyota Camry and a (insert your favorite luxury brand car here) both will get you from point a and point b. But the experience will be much different.
 
The draw of a Cordovan piece of leather is quite somethng else, I've had the pleasure of checking out a #90000, and I have a Ambrose Caballo that is quite "cordovan-ish".
With a heavy grind razor it's like stropping on ice, but with a nice full hollow you feel the sexiest smooth draw unlike anything else. My Ambrose took like forever to break in, but have given me those "sexy" vibes lately... :001_smile
 
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