Leather Strop

Welcome to the Leather Strop site!

Every blade gets dull. Honing or Stropping is how you solve this by dragging the edge of your sharpened knife over the leather strop, also called a razor strop, to remove the fine burr left behind after sharpening. There also can be a thin wire edge of straight, but weak burr that quickly becomes dull and requires frequent resharpening. To prevent this you need to do some honing or stropping with a fine leather strop. You can also load your razor strop with abrasives to get an even sharper edge.

Leather strops are generally made from cowhide or horsehide. There are many different kinds of leather that can and are used in other countries, but cowhide is the most popular. Some razor strops are two sided, one being a softer surface than the other, for even better razor honing. Some razor strops also come with a swivel clip on one end to attach to the wall next to your sharpening or shaving area. The other end of the razor strop usually has a handle for easier grip. After the traditional stone sharpening of your razor, the edge should be ready for your leather strop. Always use the weight of the blade when dragging across the strop. Too much pressure and you will roll your nice edge, causing it to lose it's sharpness. Conversely, don't use too little pressure, called lifting the blade, or you won't get much out of your stropping. With the right light honing you shoud see results in a few minutes or so. You'll need to have separate leather strop pads for each abrasive compound you want to use. Washing won't work so use a dedicated pad for each compound.

Leather Strops and Accessories

Fromm Razor Strop 2 1/2" X 23"	This is a well-crafted leather strop made by Fromm. A nice unit for a great price. Made in the USA. 2 1/2" wide, 23" long. $35.99
Fromm Razor Strop Dressing * 4oz.	Dressing for your razor strop. This keeps your leather strop well conditioned for your razors and prevents cracking. $8.99
Fromm Straight Razor, 5/8"	Round out your Fromm shaving collection with this finely crafted straight razor. Made in Germany. $64.99
Jemico Straight Razor Strop Red Russian Leather	A high quality double-sided leather razor strop with Russian red finish leather on one side and fine linen on the other. Made in Germany. 2" wide, 23" long. $49.99
Body Toolz Horsehide Leather & Canvas Barber Strop	A basic leather strop with barber style swivel hanging clip. 2 1/2" wide, 23 1/2" long. $24.99
Fromm Razor Strop Top Cowhide	Handcrafted top grain cowhide leather strop. 2 1/2" wide, 24" long. $38.79
Dovo Hand Held Strop, Russian Leather, Streich Riemen Loom-Style Handle	A professional Loom-style handled leather strop. Available in cowhide or Russian leather. $59.95
Col. Colonel Ichabod Conk straight razor leather STROP DRESSING treatment ointment	Another great dressing for conditioning your leather strop and to prevent cracking. Made by the famous Colonel Ichabod Conk shaving company. $11.60
Edwin Jagger Shave Shaving Straight Razor Leather Strop	The ultimate in leather razor strops. A finely crafted high quality leather strop made by Edwin Jagger in Germany. $114.00
Jemico German Straight Razor Sharpening Strop 2 Sided Paddle	A two sided leather strop paddle, one side has been coated with green chromium oxide for quick honing in between sharpenings. $39.99
Straight Razor Designs Leather Strop Replacement	Replacement leather for damaged, cracked, or old razor strops. Try a new color or type of leather on your favorite strop. Easily replaces most leather strop leathers. $24.99

Visit our Strop Store for more!

Reviews from Amazon.com on Leather Strops and related items. Always research before you buy:

Fromm Razor Strop 2 1/2" X 23"

By G. Chance "deathiswatching" (Annandale, VA USA) - I'm not an expert when it comes to strops and straight razors, but if you are a knife collector (as I am) a strop is a must-have for finishing off those knives and getting a razor edge. This does exactly that, and does it well. Plus it is a good price, made in the USA, and is eligible for Amazon Prime shipping. You can't beat this, get it. My 2¢

By Larry Andreassen - This strop is a good beginners strop. Doesn't cost too much. So, you won't cry when you nick and slice it up! (You will.) Once you are better, you can reorder this strop (for it will do well), or a better strop. A bit of advice though. If you intend on pasting your strop with abrasives like Dovo Red and Black paste, or Chromium Oxide, use balsa wood for your strop for the first few months. Then, start using a leather strop when you are less likely to newbie fashion destroy it! Buy a 4 inch by 3 foot balsa wood strip at a hobby store, cut in half, and use it as is. No need to paste the balsa to anything.

By Al Bacone (SoCal, USA) - If you use a straight razor, you need a strop. This is a strop- nothing fancy, just good hard linen on one side and nice smooth leather on the other. The price is right on this one, and it leaves my razor with a perfect edge every time.

Scalpmaster Barber Strop

By T. Garrison "TG" (Denver, CO) - Not expensive, but also not a high quality product. The leather grain was uneven, and inconsistent. The leather is too hard to properly strop a straight razor, and the canvas side is too coarse.

By D. Carlile - Very poor quality. The leather is stiff and too rough to use to actually sharpen a razor. I wish I had been paying more attention when I bought this. You live and learn.

By Brandon White (Cleveland, OH USA) - I purchased this item before I knew what I was doing. The materials are very poor, I found many bumps and gouges in the leather. If you're going to buy it, use it only for stropping practice on a practice razor. Its simply not useful for anything else.

Simco Razor Strop * Cowhide/canvas 1-3/4" X 20"

By m. avila (Stockholm) - I just received it and it looks really cheap but it does the job. I used it on the straight razor I just bought and it does the job.

By Alexander I. Mcallister "Psych Student" (Cape Coral, FL) -This strop is a nice size for the workbench to keep filet knives, chisels, carving Knives, etc, with a keen edge.

Body Toolz Horsehide Leather & Canvas Barber Strop

By Brian Speakman "Betta Lover" (Huntington Beach, CA USA, North America, Earth, Sol System, Alpha Quadrant, Milky Way Galaxy) - This is my first strop, so I can't be too critical. The only real problem with it is that it's difficult to attach it to anything because of the small size of its clip. I had to use a zip-tie to make a loop it could attach to. Other than that, it's perfect for what I need. I'd recommend this only with a warning about the small clip size.

Ultimate Pro 150 Straight Razor

By Daniel Battista - No where near as sharp as a straight razor should be... pretty dissapointed. But very good customer service.

By Peter S. Cameron - the handle is cheap and the blade is dull. Have to sharpen the blade with the stone, but other than that its a razor for shaving.

By Nathanael Karow - This is the first straight razor I purchased, after some sharpening a good strop and a long time learning it has been great!

Tweezerman Men's Shaving Brush

By J. Fowler (New Jersey) - I have been wet shaving for most of my 39 years and this is the best brush I have ever owned. the bristles stay in the handles and do not fall out during use. make a rich lather with the mug soap, and after a couple months of good use the handle is in like new shape. to maintain any brush you must hang it up with the bristles facing down.

By D. Spinella "DaculaDom" (Atlanta, GA USA) - I'm still new to shaving with shaving soap and brushes, so I looked to a friend with more experience and this was the primary thing he suggested. I can tell a definite difference between the tweezerman brush and the one I was given initially which is sold in a Walmart. Both get the job done, but the Tweezerman has been softer on my skin and more durable.

By C. YANCEY (MI) - For the price I paid I couldn't be more pleased with this brush. For only a few bucks more than a synthetic or some other kind of animal hair you can get a badger brush which best for building a good shaving lather. The fist 5 or 6 times I used it I did loose a few hairs but haven't since, also this one like most badger brushes did have a certain musky animal smell to it. I didn't find it over whelming but did try to get rid of it using shampoos and hand soaps, I read online some folks soak it in Borax but I worried it might damage the hairs. After the 6th use or so the smell was gone so I guess just using it more often might be best. I also wanted to get a stand for it so it would drip dry and prevent bacteria but didn't want to spend more on that than I did for the brush so I made one out of a coat hanger. It's ghetto but it works! This brush isn't the biggest but it gets the job done just fine. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another for myself or as a gift!

By R. Renduchintala - As some other have pointed, the brush does loose some bristles intially but it did stop after a while. The only things I did not like about the bursh - The handle is very small. And the brush is very thick and holds up a lot of foam from getting to the face. Otherwise, it is a great brush for the price.

By Ambergris "John Thomas" (New England.....USA) - I have been using a mug and brush ever since I was "old" enough to think shaving everyday was going to be the coolest thing going. Ever since canned shave cream and electric shavers have made old mug and brush shaving something more nostalgic in nature than a real marketable item, shaving mugs, brushes, and soaps have evolved into something far more often ornate and decorative than useful. There used to be some cheap plastic brushes available in some local drug stores but they are fast drying up. On the other end, I have seen outrageous prices asked for fancy ones on some places online. This Tweezerman is all the shaver you will ever need at a very reasonable price. Its solid wood, and the bristles are big and just the right stiffness. (Since all brushes get softer over use, its not a good idea to start off with softer ones.) Although all brushes lose some of their bristles during regular use, this brush is losing them at what I would call a very reasonable rate. I don't own what Tweezerman refers too as their "deluxe" brush. However take it from someone that has always shaved with a mug and brush, and can "almost" remember the time when that was all there was, this is an excellent quality brush which should last you for many years. Buy two and you will be done for life..... Recommended.

By Michael Wu - I recently switched to using a safety razor and bought this brush to assist in my new undertaking. This does just the trick for me and is cheap and seems durable. I've used it for a few weeks now and haven't had any problems with it falling apart. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this for a beginner, considering that other badger brushes are $30+.

By Anthony J. Rohs - I gave this review 4 stars because this is a great investment to make to start off shaving...and much much better than your run of the mill Wal-Mart boar brush. Knot size will range from 21-23mm after the initial bloom of this brush. If youre looking for a soft badger brush with a featherlight touch...this is not it. But it will get the job done. This brush holds a decent amount of water, and will create lather pretty easily. Its a bit more difficult if you are using the shaving soap pucks for your shave. I would recommend using a shave creame with this brush. Something not from a aerosol container either...Truefitt & Hill creates a very nice cream. In closing, get this brush if youre looking for something cheap to practice lathering techniques with. If you have been involved in the world of straight shaving or double edge shaving for awhile...you should already know that youre going to get what your paying for in a 15 dollar badger brush. Happy shaving everyone.

By T. Schinell (Boston, MA) - I'm very happy with this brush and I've been using it daily now for a month. It whips up a great lather and I've tried it with Taylor's Eton College cream, and a concoction of regular old soap mixed with Kiss My Face shaving cream and a couple drops of glycerin which both work wonderfully with it. All that said, it isn't the softest badger brush around, comparing it to one I bought for my father a few years back (although that one cost over 3 times as much) and it is pretty small too, so don't expect miracles out of it. For the price, it's tough to beat and so far seems pretty well made although it has lost a hair here and there. Not really a big deal to me. It holds a good amount of water within the hair after soaking in a hot bowl full for making a great warm lather after a shake or two.

By L. Thompson "drumsandsuch" (east coast) - I bought this item after being "treated" by my family to a more expensive line of "art"-istic shaving gear (their cheapest brush, the one I have, is $55, and you can spend up to $1200). I got hooked on the experience of using a brush after years of foams that left me with razor bumps and irritated skin. The brush isn't the singular answer to this problem, but it helps. I got the "Tweezerman" based pretty much on price, and that is was a badger hair brush (there is a difference between badger hair and synthetic, for sure). I wanted to have a brush I could take with me on trips, and leave the other one at home. This brush is at least as good as the original brush I have. It holds water well and makes great lather. Get this one - can't beat it for the price.

By Scott Valentine "Author, Real World Compositi... - I've been using a cheap brush from the grocery store, not wanting to spend $100 or more on a top-quality badger brush. But I finally decided to give real badger hair a try, starting at the bottom. The Tweezerman shaving brush seems like a reasonable first step, but I can't see myself using it for a long time. Right out of the box, it smelled horrible, which only got worse after it got wet. After several uses, it has finally gotten to the point where it's not very noticeable. It also seems to have some problems losing hairs for the first several shaves - I still get one or two left on my face after lathering, and the first time I opened it, there were several broken, bent and curled hairs which I trimmed with a sharp clipper. As for performance, it's actually pretty good. I like the tapered hairs much better than the synthetic, straight bristles on the cheaper brush. It lathers nicely, and it's fairly easy to control the thickness of the lather on your face. With the synthetic brushes, I could 'scrub' a little if I felt the soap wasn't getting down into my beard. But with the softer badger hair, you just can't do this. On the other hand, I don't seem to need to do this as the finer tips already help get the soap down to my skin, even if I don't shave for a week. While I think this product is priced appropriately, I don't think it will last a long time, and I am willing to bet there are some brushes in a slightly higher price range that are much better in terms of longevity, softness and build quality, without getting into the extreme prices. That being said, if you are not currently shaving with a brush, this is a better introduction than the synthetic cheapies - just don't let the smell put you off!

By V. Langer (Eureka Ca) - for my first foray into traditional DE wetshaving, i purchased this brush, along with a Merkur Classic #178 and some Col. Conk soap as recommended by a list of shaving products here on amazon. I dont have any experience with another brush against which to compare, but this brush has worked very well for me in the week or so i have been using it. it looks smaller to other brushes i have seen in video reviews, but none the less it creates a nice smooth lather once you get the motion down. my only complaint is that every time i use it it leaves just one bristle on my face, in the bowl, or stuck to the soap. this is no big deal, and is hardly a reason to consider a brush 2 or 3 times the cost of this one. This brush is a great value since it costs far less than any others on Amazon and does what it promises. that being said, i will buy a nicer one in the future, which is what im sure most of the people who buy this do.

SIMCO Barber Razor Blade (Black or White)

By Jeffrey Girard (Seattle, WA USA) - Only two companies still making SE razors should be considered: Dovo (Germany) and Thiers Issard (France). Otherwise, get older/discontinued razors from someone who knows what they are doing. Check out straight razor place or badger & blade (google them). Simco makes their blades in Pakistan... and are not shave-ready out of the box (or ever in my opinion).

By L. Bentz - I've tried everything on this razor. I bought a water sharpening stone to hone it, and I have a strop. However, no matter how much I sharpen it or hone it, it remains dull. I go over my face over and over again, and very little hair is removed. I do manage to cut my self 22 times, but little hair is removed. If you want to shave with a straight razor you should either buy a DOVO or buy a vintage one from the 30's made by a good american company such as: 1.) Waterville 2.) Genco 3.) Geneva 4.) Case (W.R. Case & Sons) 5.) Winchester 6.) Sta-Sharp 7.) Craftsman (There is also a German version that is superlative)

By M. Cameron - I ordered this same razor from another site and after reading several reviews i was a tad worried.....however once i received the razor all my fears disappeared.... ...granted this is not a top of the line razor....however it was only $12... ...the blade was very sharp upon arrival and with a quick stropping it is very shave ready... ...i am able to shave the soft hair on my arm very easily and thicker facial hair is no problem at all... the handle is a tad flimsy but it shaves well and isnt really noticeable... over all its a fair razor and a good start for a first time straight blade shaver.

By Michael Christenson II - This product was made sturdy. However it's really dull. In fact it's so dull that I couldn't intentionally cut myself. I tried shaving with this 2 separate times for an hour each to no avail. I ended up running out and getting some disposable blades for the interim. Mind you this is the first time I've tried shaving with a straight razor, but I stayed at it trying different angles and such for quite sometime. I'm sending mine back.

By Jeffrey Girard (Seattle, WA USA) - Only two companies still making SE razors should be considered: Dovo (Germany) and Thiers Issard (France). Otherwise, get older/discontinued razors from someone who knows what they are doing. Check out straight razor place or badger & blade (google them). Simco makes their blades in Pakistan... and are not shave-ready out of the box (or ever in my opinion).

By The Time Keeper "Dave" (Battle Ground, WA. USA) - This is a great razor although the color of the handle I received was white not black. So who is watching me shave? I was sick of paying Gillette and Schick for their garbage, so I went back to the trusty straight razor. Be carefull. Learn what you are doing first, get a strop and a styptic pencil, because you will need them. A hone(I own knifes so I have several) is good to have also, but this blade unlike others comes very sharp and is hollow ground. A good straight razor shave can last you two days before you feel stubble, if done right. I have had professional barbers look at this and awe at it. It works great, but be careful and watch out for the jugular, one slip there and times up. Highly Recommended. The Time Keeper

By Estevan Rios "OmniCorp. Universal Applications" (Kelso, Wa.) - Highly Recommend items from this seller. They're great quality and the seller is very prompt on delivery. You won't be disappointed. Items like this, straight razor, are great gifts for guys that are tired of being slaves to the Gilette Co.

Dovo Black Synthetic Straight Razor Folding Knife

By Al Bacone (SoCal, USA) - Smoothest shave I ever got- once I figured out how to stop filleting myself. Holds an excellent edge for single-pass shaving, and has nice, thick scales for a good grip (and less breakage if you drop it). Carbon steel needs to be babied a little more than stainless, but for the quality of this razor, I can tolerate having to oil it up once in a while. You can spend more money, but you'll have a damned hard time finding a better razor than this.

By M. Pasamonik - I got this razor as a cheap starter straight razor for me to learn on, which is going to prove exceedingly difficult because it does not come shave-ready. I was surprised to find that the razor comes quite dull, and shaving just feels brutal - like I'm pulling each hair out rather than actually cutting it off. Granted, my technique sucks a fat turd, but I know a dull blade when I see one, and this thing is definitely not in any shape to be cutting facial hair effectively. The razor itself actually comes sealed with a perforated sticker from the Dovo factory, so I know it has not been tampered with before it got to me. Dovo must send these things out dull for a reason. In conclusion, I'm still quite happy with the purchase as it is of excellent build quality, but I would definitely not recommend this razor to a beginner as it does require honing before it can be used.

By Joseph Pickett (Riverside, CA) - Perhaps I need more training in using a straight edge. I bought this when it was on sale for $60. I previously bought a straight edge in the $5 price range. I was told these were sharper and made for shaving verse the cheaper version. I would say that it does cut better than the $5 blade, but much worse than a disposable blade. It has more in common with my $5 straight edge (not cutting all hairs) than a disposable blade. Again it may be I need more training in using a straight edge. But I feel the recommendation of Dovo being the blade to get seems more hype now that I own one.

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