Where did you get your favorite strop?

I got a restored vintage shell horsehide one from Ambrose (when he first started out working on strops). I've used several others from well-known makers since then, but that vintage one is by far my favourite!

I have several high quality strops from Straight Razor Designs. My favorite right now is a kangaroo leather. Its seems smoother and less abrasive than other leathers. It's thinner but seems tougher than other leathers.

I agree, an acquaintance I deal with for straight razor restoration and honing suggested the Roo strop from Straight Razor Designs. I like the fact that it is a 3" strop (don't want to burden with x pattern stropping) and the leather is extremely soft and easy to run laps on.

I made mine. 3" wide 12 oz leather strapping, embossed stainless steel saddle rigging D for a handle, added a linen fabric strop as well. I can replace/repair if needed and it does a fine job for me. I too, dislike the x pattern stropping, so needed a wider one.

If you take a closer look at the leather in the above photos of the Star Shaving strops, you will see why they are cheap. This really is a case of you getting what you pay for and given that your strop is your most important tool for maintaining your razor, you might want to pay more.

If you take a closer look at the leather in the above photos of the Star Shaving strops, you will see why they are cheap.  This really is a case of you getting what you pay for and given that your strop is your most important tool for maintaining your razor, you might want to pay more.

Why don't you point it out to me? I strop on it every day, and I'm at a loss to see how you could point to a photograph to show someone something I cannot see with the naked eye, holding said strop in my hand.
And I'll need something a bit more than, "Look at how cheap it is"< or, "You can see how cheap it is", etc. Details, please?
And just for clarification, I used the strop below, made from a cheap leather guitar strap, to strop my straights for over a year before I purchased the Star strop. It maintained my blades in that time just fine, and they were still splitting hairs when it was retired. The Star strop is miles above it in quality, and you could spend $60-$70 for a strop that isn't one bit better RE quality of leather, than the Star strop that cost around $20 shipped.
Premium leather is good for your ego, and the asthetics of it can be very pleasing, but once you reach a certain basic quality for the material you use to strop on, whatever it is, in my opinion(notice I say that, instead of implying an immutable fact), more money does not necessarily mean better results. More personal satisfaction when using finely made equipment, yes. But superiority of results is like everything else in wet shaving; the more money you spend, the less dramatic the differences in the result are. The leather belt around my waist can be used to strop a razor in a pinch. All it needs to be is nice and smooth. Beyond that, you are paying for mostly asthetics. That's nice, but it doesn't mean it will get the job done in any measurably better way. A strop, in the end, just needs to work well.
Again, MHO.

I cannot hold your strop in my hand but I can see the photo.  The lower end of the strop's leather is pebbled.  You are welcome to your opinion but mine, after seeing the damage caused by such strops, is that they are not worth the savings.  I don't give a whit about aesthetics but function does matter.

I cannot hold your strop in my hand but I can see the photo.  The lower end of the strop's leather is pebbled.  You are welcome to your opinion but mine, after seeing the damage caused by such strops, is that they are not worth the savings.  I don't give a whit about aesthetics but function does matter.

Sorry, but you can look at that pic all you want. I own the strop, and A) the "pebbling" you talk about is simply the grain of the leather caught by the light, and B) the stropping surface is what matters, not the ends. That surface is nice and smooth, and the "function" of the strop is not impaired in any way, at all. As for causing any damage from stropping on it, that simply is not a factor. As I said, I own the strop and hold it in my hands every day. Pictures on the internet (or anywhere else) can be deceiving.

A couple of points of clarification, if I may?
My posts to this thread were not meant to be aggressive, give offense, or imply being offended. Often times when I write, and indeed when I speak, I can come across as a bit aggressive. It was not my intent, and I apologize if you or anyone else took it that way.
Secondly, if you are the same utopian as on several other forums I am a member of, I have enjoyed a great many of your posts, and like you quite a bit.
Thirdly, as to Star Shaving, I cannot and will no longer recommend them to anyone. Not because of the quality of their strops, but because their Customer Service is atrocious(read nonexistant).
I purchased 2 strops from them a month and two days ago. I have not recieved them, nor can I get any response at all from them over the last two to three weeks.
I know there might be a few who will come on and say, "That's just the way they are", etc, etc.
IMO, in this day and age, if you cannot communicate with your customers on even a basic level, you should not be in business, and I have no idea how they have remained in business as long as they have.
As to the quality of the strop, we will just have to disagree. But disagreements among gentlemen should not be a problem.

I personally like my the "Roo" 3" strop from www.straightrazordesigns.com. Very high quality soft leather for easy stropping. The 3" width makes it easier to get the blade stropped than having to do cross patterns with smaller ones.
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I personally like my the "Roo" 3" strop from www.straightrazordesigns.com. Very high quality soft leather for easy stropping. The 3" width makes it easier to get the blade stropped than having to do cross patterns with smaller ones.
[Image: index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3...ts_id=1435]

I have the same, very happy with it