Thread: Strops on eBay? How to separate the good from the bad

So I'm looking to buy my first strop and eBay seems to have a pretty wide range of things, I know not all strops are created equally but with that said, how do you guys recommend I go about separating the ones that will get the job done from ones that'll ruin my razor.

Note: I'm a student (pronounced "poor" haha) and eBay appears to be the cheapest source for strops, if you guys have a suggestion or a place I can get a good strop cheaper I'm all ears

Any suggestions would be immensely appreciated

Illinois, jemico, and the seller starshavingsupplies should give you a decent start
(this is for new only)
There is other good strops out there. But those are hard to find sinse 99+% of ebay strops are considered garbage bag stuffing

Not the answer your looking for but stay away from the eBay ones and use you leather belt until you feel comfortable stropping, and save up for a nice one.

Please buy a new strop from a reputable vendor.

I haven't used this site but members on these forms sometimes recommend this for the shaver on a budget:

Whipped Dog Straight Razor Sales

Unless there are really good photos and you know what you are looking for stay away from Eboy. True, you can get a great strop for little money but you could also get junk. You can get a brand new piece from many of the vendors here for a very reasonable amount and you know it will be a quality piece you will have for a very long time.

yes, you can't tell the good from the bad. if you have enough money to invest you can learn by experience, but if you're just trying to save money you should buy a proven strop.

Even with good pics you can still lose on ebay. Trust me.

This would be an excellent place to start.

Straight Razor Strops - Knifecenter.com

usually if they sell cheap on ebay they are cheap. Star shaving is a good one for a strop on the cheap. Ive got his 2" and the 3" one and both are good if you can afford a high dollar strop or are just learning.