new strop

[schone]

Hello!

I'm trying to 'graduate' from my strop that I started with the dovo strop and trying to figure out whats best. I'd like to avoid have to do the 'X' pattern so i'm most likely looking at a 3" strop.

I'm also, looking to stay on a budget under 80 bucks.

Any suggestions as to which way I should go and why?

Thanks!

-schone

[paco664]

big daddy 3" strop from www.starshaving.com
or the big mama 2.5"...

they have really nice strops and their customer service is top notch....

i have 2 of the big daddys and i wholeheartedly recommend them....

[Alum of Potash]

May I ask what's wrong with the X-pattern and your Dovo strop? If I'm not mistaken, you will still have to introduce some minor lateral motion with a wider (3") strop. And what kind of draw are we seeking here? Your Dovo may be a bit light compared to latigo.

[schone]

I guess I never really got used to the X pattern and would like to substitute it for an up down motion that would for the most part make it more comfortable.

And with my dovo strop aside form the width it was my first strop, i started with it and its got some nicks on it ... :( I'd like something new that would be part of my 'new and improved routine'.

What kind of draw I'm not sure as I haven't experimented with anything else before. This would be my first time I'm venturing to a new strop, maybe a new straight (looking for a 7/8 or 8/8). Trying to get more into the world of wet shaving!

[paco664]

I guess I never really got used to the X pattern and would like to substitute it for an up down motion that would for the most part make it more comfortable.

And with my dovo strop aside form the width it was my first strop, i started with it and its got some nicks on it ... :( I'd like something new that would be part of my 'new and improved routine'.

What kind of draw I'm not sure as I haven't experimented with anything else before. This would be my first time I'm venturing to a new strop, maybe a new straight (looking for a 7/8 or 8/8). Trying to get more into the world of wet shaving!

the big daddy 3" has a very nice draw to it....

and comes with a felt......

and is 1/2 of what you said you had to spend...

[Kentos]

I would get used to the Xstroke. IMO a straight up and down lap on a 3" strop may or may not hit the entire edge properly, while an xstroke will no matter the width of the strop. A 3" strop is hard to keep from cupping.

[Slash McCoy]

I have 2 Big Daddys. They don't cup. They are solid performers for very little money. The hardware is removable so they can be swapped end for end to put the worn right hand side over on the left hand side.

I like a wide strop. Personally, I see no advantage, generally, to a narrow strop. I have used narrow and wide, and I prefer wide. If you like narrow, then it is probably a good choice for you. I think a newbie's first "real" strop ought to be a wide one. It is easier to use and gives better results with less practice.

[Alum of Potash]

My first strop was a Dovo 1-3/4" Russian leather/linen combo. It has some nicks at the top and bottom that have been sanded out, but I still use it regularly to this day. Sometimes, when I use a 6/8, it just doesn't seem wide enough though. So then I use a custom "American-style" 2-1/2" wide strop that I purchased here locally. It's the style that has no handle at the bottom for pulling (square end), and that is what I prefer as I like to use my left forefinger for support instead. Still doing the X-stroke with it. If I were in your shoes, with up to $80 to spend on a strop, I might contact Tony Miller at the Well-Shaved Gentlemen to be put on his waiting list for a strop. Back in the States, I have a square-end, 2-1/2" wide strop he made that is just a joy to use. One thing that would be nice, though, would be if the leather could be turned from top to bottom, and Slash is quite correct IMO when he says that the Star Shaving strops have an advantage in that they can do this. If the strop risks to be cut, go with Star Shaving.

[Giant Kiwi]

Hello!

I'm trying to 'graduate' from my strop that I started with the dovo strop and trying to figure out whats best. I'd like to avoid have to do the 'X' pattern so i'm most likely looking at a 3" strop.

I'm also, looking to stay on a budget under 80 bucks.

Any suggestions as to which way I should go and why?

Thanks!

-schone

Yeah me too.

After Slash and Paco both recommend the Big Daddy it looks like I'll be heading that route myself.

[jrp316]

I've been used to a 2" strop since I started straight shaving and I tried a 3" a while back. I didn't like it at all, just something about the width threw my strokes off something terrible.

[ouch]

TM




z

[Kentos]

Tony just opened up his wait list so now would be a good time to pull the trigger on a TM.

[KindestCutofAll]

My next planned strop will be a "Straight Razor Designs Lynn Abrams Paddle Strop".

I have heard good things about them.

[Doc226]

I can't believe there has not been a recommendation for a Kanayama strop.

[Kentos]

Saving it up for you Doc.

[jrp316]

Where does one get one of these fabled Kanayama strops? The only vendor I found online no longer sells them.

[Slash McCoy]

My first strop was a Dovo 1-3/4" Russian leather/linen combo. It has some nicks at the top and bottom that have been sanded out, but I still use it regularly to this day. Sometimes, when I use a 6/8, it just doesn't seem wide enough though. So then I use a custom "American-style" 2-1/2" wide strop that I purchased here locally. It's the style that has no handle at the bottom for pulling (square end), and that is what I prefer as I like to use my left forefinger for support instead. Still doing the X-stroke with it. If I were in your shoes, with up to $80 to spend on a strop, I might contact Tony Miller at the Well-Shaved Gentlemen to be put on his waiting list for a strop. Back in the States, I have a square-end, 2-1/2" wide strop he made that is just a joy to use. One thing that would be nice, though, would be if the leather could be turned from top to bottom, and Slash is quite correct IMO when he says that the Star Shaving strops have an advantage in that they can do this. If the strop risks to be cut, go with Star Shaving.

Yeah that is called a "barber end". It has the advantage of the user being able to compensate for any tendency to cup, by sort of bending it over the index finger knuckle, using the grip you describe. You balance out the tension between the centerline area and the edges, and so you can keep the strop nice and flat. It works very well for a 2-1/2" strop. A 3" strop with a barber end is a little harder to use.

Even with a wide strop, a smallish x-stroke is often used. I guess I use a very small x-stroke, sliding the blade a random amount up to about a half inch. It helps to compensate for any peculiarities in the leather surface, and it ensures that I am not stropping on the shoulder.

The fact of the matter is, if you use the same strop for a couple of years, you will naturally gravitate toward using the ideal technique for that strop. A newbie should attempt to do things "by the book", because that is the basis of good technique. Eventually your form will evolve, and just doing it without over analyzing it will quite naturally have you doing things in a workable, effective, and practical fashion.

[Kentos]

Where does one get one of these fabled Kanayama strops? The only vendor I found online no longer sells them.

try aframestokyo.

[danjared]

I never really saw the point of 3" wide strops. Aside from the reasons mentioned above, there's hardly a razor that even has a 3" long cutting edge (most are at least a bit shorter*), so there's clearly some wasted width. But, I guess some go for "bigger is better". Personally, I see diminishing returns, just as I see for flatter honing surfaces, super-fine abrasives and super-straight razor edges.

*This is not to mention that very few razors were designed to have a completely straight cutting edge.

[paco664]

I never really saw the point of 3" wide strops. Aside from the reasons mentioned above, there's hardly a razor that even has a 3" long cutting edge (most are at least a bit shorter*), so there's clearly some wasted width. But, I guess some go for "bigger is better". Personally, I see diminishing returns, just as I see for flatter honing surfaces, super-fine abrasives and super-straight razor edges.

*This is not to mention that very few razors were designed to have a completely straight cutting edge.