What are the differences between each leather type you offer on Burrfection strops?
Latiogo (Cowhide)
Latigo is our basic strop. We choose only the higher quality latigo leather, with high levels of oils, and the most consistent surfaces. It is perfect for beginners who want high quality leather, but on a limited budget. Latigo performs best with 4K-9K grit stropping compound.
Buffalo / Rolled Buffalo
We have found buffalo to be an extremely durable leather and consistent leather. The density of our rolled buffalo makes it perfect for keeping micro-bevels. Our buffalo strops perform best when loaded with 9K-14K grit compound.
Raw Equine
Our raw equine is a lot like our premium equine, when it comes to the high silicate concentration. The texture of slightly more velvety, and offers more control during stropping, especially for beginners. This is also a great leather for those who simply want a high quality strop to clean their knife’s edge after polishing on their favorite whetstones, and not have to worry about stropping compound. The major difference is, it has a slightly more porous surface, so, if loading with a stropping compound, we would advise to keep it between 4K-9K grit.
Equine Ultra Premium
Equine leather has high levels of silicate. A lot of barbers love equine, for this very reason. It works very well completely naked with no stropping compound needed. The surface is extremely fine, and consistent, so people who are finishing highly refined edges, such as razor, or high-end Japanese knives, prefer it over the other leathers. Our premium equine is especially suited for loading with 14K-20K grit compound.
Shell Cordovan
Shell cordovan is the leather of royalty. The most expensive shoes, purses, and leather goods are made of this material. Fun fact: the visors of Navy commanders are made of shell cordovan. The tanning process required to get the glass-like surface takes 6 months for completion. Shell cordovan is used to give mirror finishes to your knives and razors. For best performance, we recommend using shell cordovan with stropping compound from 20K-100K grit.