Strops

Here you will find our wide selection of razor strops from Dovo, Thiers-Issard, Strop-It, together with those made especially for us under our own Invisible Edge brand. A good quality leather strop is an essential part of the straight razor users kit.

You will need to strop your straight razor each time you shave. This is required in order to to maintain a sharp edge on the blade of the razor. The last thing you need is to shave with a blunt razor. This can irritate the skin as well as failing to remove your stubble properly.

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 They are fitted with a swivel hook at one end. This is used to secure the strop to a fixed point. At the other end is a handle so that the strop can be held taut during stropping. We stock these in 2 sizes. A standard strop and the extra wide hanging strop. The latter 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.

If you use a narrower strop means you will have to use an "X" pattern to strop the razor. This can can prove to be tricky for the beginner, as you will also have to keep the strop at the correct tension at the same time. We usually recommend a paddle strop at least to start with. While slightly more expensive than the traditional hanging strop, it is easy to use and, while rigid, they are normally hollowed out to provide some “give”. Using a wider version which accommodates the entire edge of the razor also makes stropping easier.

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.

We also stock a form of paddle strop with four sides 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 more information please see our section on Stropping and Pastes.

For the dedicated straight razor enthusiast we have the Strop-It Supex strop. This is a wide paddle strop with interchangeable beds. There are beds designed to take a paste. As well as 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!