English bridle Strop (Hand American).

SIB · 08-10-2008, 10:07 PM

Hi all, i just wanted to share and comment in the strop that might be giving me the best results of all the strops i have tried, i say might because something inside of me does not want to accept that this strop might work better than my dearly loved cordovan, i just love the way the cordovan feels.....smells...is just so beautifull to look at.......but now...going back to the point here...the english bridle, while being tougher ,thicker , not as supple..... and overall more rude.......it just strops AMAZING, i get the feeling that this is a less processed leather , this rawness that i feel makes you really feel how the grain keeps the edge atached to the strop at all times, almost like magnetic forces were involved.
It has the diamond cut back, wich works wonders to refresh an edge, specially on stainless stail (my experience) really brings back edges to life. It is a reintroduction of what the russians did back in the 19th century.
I asked Keith from handamerican the specs about this strop and this is what i got.
"This is a bovine, bark tanned and processed using aniline dyes and oils.
The oils are stuffed into the hide using heat and pressure,. Typically there
are no waxes used in the process."
Also they use their cordovan paste on it as a finall touch.
I heard classicshaving.com is gonna be carrying diferent versions of the english bridle, mine being the smooth front with the diamond cut back, i dont know how much they are gonna be going for.

My final thought: While not being my favourite strop to look at , hold and use...gives me the best results.
I definitely recommend it.
Cheers guys!

.

netsurfr · 08-11-2008, 12:53 AM

Thanks for sharing and thanks for the review.

thebigspendur · 08-11-2008, 01:47 AM

I've found, in general Horsehide does not provide draw like other kinds of strops.

I find it interesting you actually find a difference in stropping effectiveness with your new strop. At one time I was on this kick to collect a strop from every kind of critter they ever had a strop made from. I must of had 20 strops and in the end I found they all did the same job. Some felt different than others and some were nicer to use but I found no difference.

Thanks for a great review.

SIB · 08-11-2008, 07:19 AM

Maybe the leather just feels better without really aligning the edge better...maybe the good results come from using the diamond cut back...could be, but my experience is that i do get better edges now than ever before.

jnich67 · 08-11-2008, 03:01 PM

Great review. I've been really good about not getting sucked into a strop AD. This doesn't help.

Jordan

jwoods · 08-22-2008, 05:11 PM

Very nice if keith would just get his site up again

nun2sharp · 08-22-2008, 05:14 PM

Oh. I thought you said bridal strop, I would've gotten one of those!

chee16 · 10-10-2008, 07:12 PM

so how can i get one? i am looking for a good strop and that one sounds great.

JimmyHAD · 10-10-2008, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chee16

so how can i get one? i am looking for a good strop and that one sounds great.

Keith (Hand American) isn't doing them anymore as far as I know. Many guys, me included, are getting great results from Tony Miller's strops available here.