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Tony Miller Strops

I have just received an Apprentice Strop and a Four-Sided Paddle Strop from Tony Miller. Truly beautiful pieces of craftsmanship! They are accompanied by extensive notes on their care and use - invaluable to a Newb like me! To my mind, they represent excellent value - even taking into calculation international shipping costs to the UK. I'm really looking forward to using them!:tongue_sm

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Tony for his patience and indulgence in answering my questions. I'll definitely be back for more from him!

Cheers Tony,

Alan London, England
 
I have been very happy with the apprentice strop I got from Tony. I don't have any other strops to compare it to, but the workmanship and materials used appear to be top notch. The simple loop and slide system is very convenient as well!
 
I have one of his red latigo strops and a four-sided paddle strop. He is not only a fine craftsman, he's a model of courtesy and good customer service.
 
I want some of his strops, but I dont want to pay the customs lol :lol:

I'm in the same boat as you, though having read so many great reviews on Tony Miller's strops, I've made up my mind that I'm going to order an Apprentice Strop as soon as he gets back from vacation.
 
I'm in the same boat as you, though having read so many great reviews on Tony Miller's strops, I've made up my mind that I'm going to order an Apprentice Strop as soon as he gets back from vacation.

Tony is back from vacation and, so far as I know, open for business. I received my strops just yesterday.
 
Tony is back from vacation and, so far as I know, open for business. I received my strops just yesterday.

See? I tried telling my boss that graveyard shifts are screwing with my sense of time, but he told me that it was all in my head... I thought that was the point.

Thanks for the heads up. Would you know approximately how long it takes to receive a strop within the States? If it's less than 2/2.5 weeks, I won't have to pay customs as my girlfriend will be in Sonoma County visiting her mother, and I could just ship it there.
 
See? I tried telling my boss that graveyard shifts are screwing with my sense of time, but he told me that it was all in my head... I thought that was the point.

Thanks for the heads up. Would you know approximately how long it takes to receive a strop within the States? If it's less than 2/2.5 weeks, I won't have to pay customs as my girlfriend will be in Sonoma County visiting her mother, and I could just ship it there.

I don't recall exactly how long it took for mine to arrive, but it was less than a week. Just make sure Tony has the strop you're looking for in stock and you should be fine.
 
One thing to keep in mind.....I wanted one of his Heirloom strops, but figured I should buy one of the apprentice strops first to practice on before risking slicing up a $120.00 top of the line strop so.....I order an apprentice at $29.95 plus shipping, used it for a few weeks, started feeling confident with it and then went back to order the Heirloom while he still had them available.

Well...I was surprised that when I clicked the Buy button on the Heirloom an option to purchase a practice strop for an additional $8.00 popped up.

I assume this $8.00 strop is not as nice as the $30.00 Apprentice piece, but had I known about this option I would have ordered the Heirloom first with the Practice Strop option and saved $22.00 plus shipping on the second strop.

So.......even if you are thinking about buying an apprentice first and then a high-end strop later......you might consider buying the heirloom now with the practice strop option. It will save you about $30.00.

Had I known about this.......it's what I would have done.
 
The "practice" strop included for a nominal fee with an Heirloom strop is a pretty nice strip of leather, but it is nowhere near the same thing as a Starter strop in my opinion.

The lather on the Starter is thick and smooth and wide, and it has the integral handle to grab onto.

The practice strop is, as said, a nice strip of leather, but it is not as nice as what you'd find on the Starter. It is also not as wide, nor as thick. And there is no handle on it.

Having both (and the Heirloom!:biggrin:) I can honestly say that the Apprentice/Starter strop is a strop that you could buy and use indefinitely. It is that nice,and the price is fantastic. I have mine, and am glad I bought it, as I use it for travel, etc.

But, as X says, if you think you're going to go Top Shelf sooner or later, you might as well go for it right off the bat.
 
Yes, but did you noice and significant difference between the basic apprentice and the Heirloom strop, in quality or results or anything?

Thanks, Lee


B R A N D X®;774373 said:
One thing to keep in mind.....I wanted one of his Heirloom strops, but figured I should buy one of the apprentice strops first to practice on before risking slicing up a $120.00 top of the line strop so.....I order an apprentice at $29.95 plus shipping, used it for a few weeks, started feeling confident with it and then went back to order the Heirloom while he still had them available.

Well...I was surprised that when I clicked the Buy button on the Heirloom an option to purchase a practice strop for an additional $8.00 popped up.

I assume this $8.00 strop is not as nice as the $30.00 Apprentice piece, but had I known about this option I would have ordered the Heirloom first with the Practice Strop option and saved $22.00 plus shipping on the second strop.

So.......even if you are thinking about buying an apprentice first and then a high-end strop later......you might consider buying the heirloom now with the practice strop option. It will save you about $30.00.

Had I known about this.......it's what I would have done.
 
The "practice" strop included for a nominal fee with an Heirloom strop is a pretty nice strip of leather, but it is nowhere near the same thing as a Starter strop in my opinion.

The lather on the Starter is thick and smooth and wide, and it has the integral handle to grab onto.

The practice strop is, as said, a nice strip of leather, but it is not as nice as what you'd find on the Starter. It is also not as wide, nor as thick. And there is no handle on it.

Having both (and the Heirloom!:biggrin:) I can honestly say that the Apprentice/Starter strop is a strop that you could buy and use indefinitely. It is that nice,and the price is fantastic. I have mine, and am glad I bought it, as I use it for travel, etc.

But, as X says, if you think you're going to go Top Shelf sooner or later, you might as well go for it right off the bat.

Right.....I was relatively sure from the description of the Practice strop that it wasn't anything near as full-on as the Apprentice strop.

I guess my only point was......as you stated more clearly......if you think you are going top shelf at some point, which I knew when I ordered the Apprentice, then your better deal is to order the Heirloom with the Practice and keep the Heirloom under wraps until you've gotten the hang of stropping without slicing the leather on the Practice.

Also......as a follow up, I see by going back to Tony's sight that the Practice strop option *is* clearly listed in the description text of the Heirloom. I don't think I got that far when I ordered the Apprentice because the Heirloom was actually out of stock. I should have taken more time to read through the info on his site *before* ordering the Apprentice.

I'm glad to have both though; as you said, the Apprentice will ultimately be a nice, compact, travel strop.
Yes, but did you noice and significant difference between the basic apprentice and the Heirloom strop, in quality or results or anything?

Thanks, Lee

Hi Lee,
My Heirloom isn't scheduled to arrive until sometime next week, but I wouldn't be the best person to ask anyway. Just because I'll own both doesn't mean I know what the hell I'm doing with either!:wink:

I'm brand new to the world of straights and at the bottom of the learning curve at this point.

I did, however, manage my first BBS straight shave this morning with only one cut! Now *that* is progress!

Of course my new Ellis probably had more to do with that than any overnight increase in shaving skills. That man knows how to work some metal!
 
I want some of his strops, but I dont want to pay the customs lol :lol:

I didn't want to either but since Tony Miller products will last a lifetime if kept well, it's worth it.

You know.... isn't the Free Trade Agreement about products made entirely in the USA not subject to customs when entering Canada and vice versa? Whatever. I bought a 3" Heirloom (with a practice strop) and two Heirloom Super Wide Paddle Strops (for pasting) last week. Now I have the fun of waiting for them.
 
Stu,

Thanks for responding, I'm looking at one of his strops too. I was just curious as to the differences based on cost differences. I wrote to him and he's still away on vacation, as he hasn't answered either of my emails. Doesn't sound like the kind of guy to ignore someone, so I think he is still out. I'll keep waiting and he'll probably answer that for me. Just thought I could get the info sooner. When you get yours I wish you good luck with it. Keep it sharp and keep it safe.

Lee
 
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