Choosing A Strop
A good quality leather strop is an essential part of the kit required by anyone who uses a straight razor. You will need to strop your straight razor each time you shave to maintain a sharp edge on the blade of the razor. The last thing you need is to be shaving with a blunt razor – it can irritate the skin as well as failing to remove your stubble properly.
We stock various different types of strop made by manufacturers including Boker, Dovo, Thiers-Issard, Strop-It and those made especially for us under our own Invisible Edge brand.
Strops come in three main types. The cheapest and most common version is the hanging strop. These are made of a single piece of leather, fitted with a swivel hook at one end used to secure the strop to a fixed point, and a handle so that the strop can be held taut during stropping. We stock these in two sizes, a standard strop and the extra wide hanging strop which is wide enough to take the entire width of the blade when stropping. There are also versions of the standard leather strop which have a canvas or cotton backing. This can either be used to clean the blade after shaving or to take a paste.
Using a narrower strop means you have to use an "X" pattern to strop the razor. Doing this as well as keeping the strop at the correct tension can prove to be tricky for the beginner so a wider strop is easier to use.
A basic paddle strop is typically more expensive than a basic hanging strop but beginners should consider paying a little extra as they may well find it easier to use a paddle strop, especially one of the extra wide paddle strops which can accommodate the entire edge of the razor. While rigid, these are normally hollowed out to provide some “give”.
A more unusual option is the loom strop. This is similar to a paddle strop and has a piece of leather which runs around a wooden frame. With better loom strops the tension of the leather can be adjusted so you can make it as taught as you wish.
We also stock a form of paddle strop with four sides which are really designed to take diamond pastes. These four sided strops can take four grades of paste or three grades with an unpasted side for finishing. A careful use of pastes can avoid the need to hone a razor for a considerable time. For the dedicated straight razor enthusiast with a higher budget we have the Strop-It Supex strop, a wide paddle strop with interchangeable beds. There are beds designed to take a paste and also a variety of different beds for finishing. We also stock a Supex storage box to keep the spare beds in. Some strops are rather smaller and designed for use when travelling.
Finally for those who like something different and with sufficient budget we have our custom hanging and paddle strops. These are handmade in England in small quantities from high quality leather and have handles made from a variety of luxury woods. Each one unique!
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We have always used the term "straight razor" but in truth most people know this type of razor as a "cut-throat razor" or, less frequently, as an "open razor". It really doesn't matter, all these terms relate to the same implement.
We have a variety of razor starter kits which include everything necessary to start your venture into straight razor shaving. They also make an ideal shaving gift. This section also includes some entry level razors which are good choices for a beginner. Alternatively you can put together your own choices and perhaps upgrade the razor or strop. Please just ask if you need help.
We ship Worldwide, and shipping is free to all countries for orders over £125, but there is a charge for orders of a lower value. Full details may be found in our Delivery and Returns Policy. Prices are determined in GBP. For your convenience you are able to see indicative prices in U.S. Dollars and Euros but payment will be taken in GBP and there will inevitably be some variation to the U.S. Dollar and Euro prices shown. We accept payment by all major credit and debit cards as well as through Paypal.
If you are just starting out with a straight razor then we have a wealth of information on the website for beginners. Please visit our Information section which includes advice about choosing a cut-throat razor, how to strop a razor and much more. We are also always happy to offer advice and assistance where we can. Please just ask.
Our aim is to help our customers keep their razors in use. Now and again every razor will benefit from being honed. As not all our customers wish to learn how to hone we offer a straight razor honing and stropping service where we will sharpen your cut-throat razor on our premises and return it to you. This service is available for all razors we sell, vintage razors and some other brands of new razor but there are brands of new razor that we will not accept. Please see our Sharpening Service section for more details. We also offer a service to fit scales (razor handles) purchased from us.
This term relates to the fact that once unfolded from the scales (i.e. the handle) the razor's edge is open or unprotected, as opposed to a safety razor where the edge is shielded to some extent.
