Thread: Anyone else buy a SIMCO Strop?

Hi All,

Back in 2009 I bought a Simco Strop, made in Pakistan. Amazon.com: Simco Razor Strop * Cowhide/canvas 1-3/4" X 20": Health & Personal Care

From the moment it arrived I thought it was subpar. Very stiff and very dry leather. Barely flexable. Stropping just didn't feel right at all...and I thought I just needed to condition the strop and break it in. Applied some neatsfoot oil...texture was much better. It looked a deeper brown than a light tan. So I thought I was going in the right direction. Still stropping was not very successful. Not sure if this is because I am a newb or if this strop is just that bad...or maybe a combination of the two. Possibly too much oil. Anyone know how to "unapply" neatsfoot oil? Anyone else go through this? Is the strop complete garbage, or can I use it as a paste strop? Can something be done to condition this thing into a usable strop? I think you see where I am going with this.

After all that discouragement I went to DE shaving and finally got the close shave I was hoping to get out of straight razor shaving. I'd like to go back and see about getting my straight razor's edge back up to shave ready.

Thanks guys!

Hey what's up fellow newbie! I too bought a crap-ola strop to save $$$, and since it looks like you too don't know what you're looking for, you likely threw your money away, sorry to tell you This is what you can try to do, if the strop is indeed salvagable:

1. Burnish it with a glass beer bottle (will take a long time-don't know how long)

2. Roll it, like you're rolling a magazine, and unroll it many times (to make the leather more flexible, but no kinks)

This is what I did to my cheapo strop, and it made it better, but it was still crappy. I know if you look in the wiki or on the strop threads you'll find lots of tips to help your strop. But this is what I would do if i were you:

Throw it out and buy a decent and cheap one from starshaving.com for 20 bucks, or if you really want top of the line, straightrazordesigns.com (rumor has it)

Remember, an initial investment in quality is better and cheaper in the long run

By all means use it for corporal punishment on the kiddies but keep it away from the razors. Next time buy a quality strop.

Thanks guys.

While there are a few strops out there which are "serviceable" for less money, I have yet to encounter a strop that will really go the distance in the below-$40 range.

I happen to be pretty happy with the "Big Daddy" 3" strop from Star Shaving. Has a 3" wool felt on the backside, uses Chicago screws in case you ever need to repalce the leather and the leather came soft and pliable. Mine is the light tan one. I use Neatsfoot Oil and it really seems to make the razor glide along a bit better.