RoyalShave 3" Red Latigo Leather Straight Razor Strop

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Ordered this and got a 2 inch strop instead. I didn't think about it since its my first time doing straight razor shaving from the disposable straight razor shaving stuff. I messed it up a bit with a few nick's and cuts into the leather but after learning how to properly use it, the shave is easier to do and I don't get cuts compared to the razor version. Then 2 months later I get a package in the mail with another one inside. This time with the correct 3 inch strop! It's a big difference compared to the 2 inch one and at first I thought they shipped me another on accident. I guess they fixed their mistakes without me even saying a word. These guys stand up to their products and are great sellers. Thank you for the two strops. I'm sure you wouldn't want the first one sent back though since its damaged lol.For your information, I bought that velvet forge straight razor and since I couldn't shave with it, I bought the dovo one for 160 off of Amazon. It doesn't matter about the blade, it's all about how you sharpen it with the strop that matters. After I learned how to do this, even that velvet forge stainless steel shaved wonderfully.

This strop will outlive you or me. Heck, this will survive nuclear war. The quality of the leather on this thing is something you have to smell, feel, and see to truly believe. Aside from very high end handmade cowboy boots and Italian loafers you'd be hard pressed to find this level of leather craftsmanship anywhere else. Simply put, the strop is beautiful. The handles are incredibly thick hardened leather riveted with ornate stainless steel rivets. The rings are clearly hefty and are made to last generations. The canvas half is actually ballistic-weave nylon which is very thick and has been finished to be completely smooth: no hanging threads. The leather band of the strop itself is super thick but with the perfect amount of draw and flex.Even the design is brilliant: the leather and the "canvas" are separate with separate handles, but they're riveted together at the top. You can start out on the canvas side and easily flip the strop over since the ring rotates on an articulated clip.Amish quality really is the gold standard... I am lost for words. And remember, this is a strop I'm talking about.

A great strop, but don't make the mistake I did of buying this if you're a beginner. I got so many Knicks and scratches in it in just a couple weeks. It is now useless to me with quite a bit of money wasted. Buy cheaper if you're a beginner! Great quality though, would sharpen razor once before shaving and once during. I shave every week to put that into perspective, so my face is very coarse by then.

**UPDATE**Mike at Royal Shave quickly responded to my complaint and shipped me a replacement strop! The new one is an amazing product, I can't stress that enough. I couldn't imagine finding one with better quality or workmanship and should last many years with proper care.This still doesn't explain how the first one slipped through the cracks, but the customer service provided was commendable in rectifying the problem.I just unboxed the strop and there is a thumb sized gouge taken out of the rough side of the leather, the leather remaining feels paper thin and has caused a dull spot on the stropping side. This is an unused strop and is unsatisfactory for for the price paid. Not sure if it will effect the ability to hone my razor, but will undoubtedly reduce the longevity of the product.

I am just beginning to shave with a straight razor and this is the first strop i've decided to buy. I bought it because of the high reviews and it seemed like a quality purchase, something that would last me a while.I received this strop in a small box. It came rolled up, which was a red flag, but I was excited to check it out and it looked like a beautiful piece of leather. However, upon further investigation i noticed a couple stretches, one near the base by 'made in usa' and the other right in the center :(. Almost looking dried and cracked. Now, by no means am i an expert on strops but I can't imagine these ripples would be good for the edge of the razor. This is probably from being rolled up in packaging, and I wouldn't blame the company for this but come on there has to be some kind of quality control in shipping. I paid good money and wouldn't mind paying an extra couple of bucks to actually receive the product as it's sold.If you ask me this should be shipped flat in a long narrow box rather than rolled up in a cube box.Once again, I'm just beginning with straight razors and have no other strops to compare so if these wrinkles are alright then I'll gladly change my review to five stars.

Very well made. The three-inch width makes sharpening my kitchen knives much easier than a narrower strop. I use Japanese water stones (1,000 then 8,000 grit) to set the initial edge, then a few swipes on a butcher's steel and finally a good stropping. When I bought this strop, I also bought a large 'Woodstock D2902' stick of green chrome/ox compound to treat the woven side (20-40 passes), then do a final finish with bare leather (20-40 passes). If I do a quick steel and strop before every use, knives remain SCARY sharp. Keep in mind that if you have cheap knives, no amount of sharpening will get you a decent edge.

It is a fine strop.. I use it au naturale and works fine with just a run of the hand and the strop does its job. When packed it got a crease right in the middle but a little jojoba oil and a couple of days and it was good. Also the width is perfect so you don't have to do cross strokes. One piece of advice if you are new to this buy at least two and you will in the process of learning tare the first one up pretty bad. The the second one you will use for years to come. If you don't then you can convert one of them to paste and then you won't have to re hone as often