B&B scoundrels (with pics)

Well you low down rascals with your beautiful pictures and talk of perfect draw made me do it! My acquisition disorder flared up and I had to have a Kanayama. Not wanting to suffer this disease alone here are some pictures so somebody else can see what all the fuss is about. I haven't even tried it out yet. I have to say this is the most remarkable feeling piece of leather I have ever felt. Hard to describe actually. There is a softness like suede but no nap. Is it OK to use the word creamy to describe the feel?

Congrats on the new strop. They really are beautiful, aren't they? Everyone who appreciates the finer points of wet shaving should see and feel a Kanoyama strop I think.

They are beautiful to strop with too IMO- the only way I could describe it is that they are a very fast strop with a moderate draw. I know that does not even make any sense but they seem to have a unique feedback draw but really do not drag on the razor.

I would really like to see / feel a piece of Horween Cordovan Shell to see how much of the special nature of a Kanoyama strop is the material and how much of it is Mr. Naomi's work.

The closest I can come to describing his strops is that they feel like vinyl. I certainly do not mean that they feel cheap or junky in any way but they have a suppleness and almost stretch like a man- made material. In fact, I find it amazing that they are made from any part of an animal.

The really odd thing about my own Kanoyama is that while it is absolutely beautiful in look and feel, is unique and I am thrilled that I have one, I do not use it to strop very much. I prefer horse hide (the actual hide, not the shell below the hide that is what Kanoyama strops are made from) for stropping. Then again, I have a few razors like that too- beautiful, finely crafted and wonderful to have but I rarely shave with them. Maybe I should create a separate area for the razors I don't shave with, the strops I don't strop with, the brushes I don't use much and the soaps I do not use at all.

Brian

Brianskeet said:

Well you low down rascals with your beautiful pictures and talk of perfect draw made me do it! My acquisition disorder flared up and I had to have a Kanayama. Not wanting to suffer this disease alone here are some pictures so somebody else can see what all the fuss is about. I haven't even tried it out yet. I have to say this is the most remarkable feeling piece of leather I have ever felt. Hard to describe actually. There is a softness like suede but no nap. Is it OK to use the word creamy to describe the feel?

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where does one aquire these strops?

ugh, more strop envy! Absolutely beautiful, enjoy.

one2mny said:

where does one aquire these strops?

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I got mine from these folks. Good service, good tracking, and good speed.

http://yhst-27988581933240.stores.yahoo.net/index.html

It was packed extremely well. They put it in a padded box, and then wrapped that box in bubble wrap and put that box in a heavier padded box. What is in stock or out of stock can be spotty. I just kept checking till they had what I wanted.

I have a Walkin Horse Horween cordovan shell. Give me a few days to try them side by side and I will give you my thoughts. I absolutely love the Walkin Horse strop. It probably gets more use than any of my others, or at least it has been that way till now.

BDF said:

Congrats on the new strop. They really are beautiful, aren't they? Everyone who appreciates the finer points of wet shaving should see and feel a Kanoyama strop I think.

They are beautiful to strop with too IMO- the only way I could describe it is that they are a very fast strop with a moderate draw. I know that does not even make any sense but they seem to have a unique feedback draw but really do not drag on the razor.

I would really like to see / feel a piece of Horween Cordovan Shell to see how much of the special nature of a Kanoyama strop is the material and how much of it is Mr. Naomi's work.

The closest I can come to describing his strops is that they feel like vinyl. I certainly do not mean that they feel cheap or junky in any way but they have a suppleness and almost stretch like a man- made material. In fact, I find it amazing that they are made from any part of an animal.

The really odd thing about my own Kanoyama is that while it is absolutely beautiful in look and feel, is unique and I am thrilled that I have one, I do not use it to strop very much. I prefer horse hide (the actual hide, not the shell below the hide that is what Kanoyama strops are made from) for stropping. Then again, I have a few razors like that too- beautiful, finely crafted and wonderful to have but I rarely shave with them. Maybe I should create a separate area for the razors I don't shave with, the strops I don't strop with, the brushes I don't use much and the soaps I do not use at all.

Brian

Click to expand...

That's a great looking strop!

Gorgeous. I have a K3 and love it.

This strop really is a little piece of heaven to strop on. I am trying to be really slow on passing any judgments because I know how the newest toy can seem like the best just because it is new, but I am getting some really fantastic edges on this strop. Maybe it was just a really good day on the hone or all the planets were in the right alignment, but I got a straight up HHT 5 post stropping after honing on my favorite coticule the other day. Those are as rare as chicken lips for me off any coti. I am good for HHT4 pretty reliably, but a 5 is an extreme rarity for me. I used the Kanayama linen on that edge as well. It is loud and stiff and feels funny to me and I don't really enjoy it like I do some of my others, but if this kind of performance is repeatable I will bloody well get used to the noise!

The canvas breaks in pretty quickly. BTW, it's loud with hollowgrinds - they "sing" loudly on it, but very quiet with heavy grinds or stiff razors.

Cheers, Steve