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- Jan 17, 2006
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- 1,255
I just got the new KSF Strop from Derrick (okbohn here) - It arrived last Friday, and I've been checking it out.
Bottom line: Derrick and his trained goats have done a great job! (Derrick is a goat rancher, among other things!) This is a great companion to your knives, especially convexed edged ones, and will help to keep them scary sharp!
Details:
Here's the strop as it first arrived:
The first thing I noticed on picking the strop up was how light it is! Really light!
The paper under the strop in the picture above is a very nice set of instructions on how to use the strop. Those of you who are familiar with stropping won't find anything new, I don't think. But it's a nice touch to have a full set of instructions with the strop. Very thoughtful of you, Derrick!
The strop is made on a paint-stirrer type of paddle. I'm not sure what the wood is. The leather is 1 3/4" wide, and 8 1/2" long - excellent size.
The strop is double sided, with a nicely sanded finish on the leather that crayons up really well - very similar to the Sharpshooter strops. The leather is cleanly cut on the edges of the paddle, no gloppy glue drops - good workmanship.
I put the BRKT black compound on one side, and the green on the other - which I'm sure is just what Derrick intended!
How does it work? Just like it should! The KSF strop is very easy to pick up and use - and it's so light I almost want to turn it into a necker to always have it handy! It did a fine job of keeping that scary sharp edge on all the knives I tested on it!
Since there are several other available strops out there, here's a couple shots with some other strops, and a BRKT Canadian Special, just for comparison:
Comparison comments:
The JRE four-sided strop (handle with orange lanyard) is the original and still an outstanding strop. Made of oak, it is heavy enough that it can also be used as a back-up weapon, should your knife not be sharp enough!
The Sharpshooter Bench Hone (large block) is pretty much the "standard", with two sanded pieces of leather, and a unique clamp on the ends for attaching wet/dry sandpaper for more serious sharpening tasks. It is ideal for both honing and working out nicks or bringing up really dull or non-convexed knives.
The Sharpshooter One-Sided Hone (small block) is the smallest (though very adequate), and is made to slip in a pack for stropping service on a pack trip or longer hike. It also fits easily into a small plastic bag.
The KSF Strop is somewhere in the middle:
It'll see constant use here as my everyday hone - with the two sides and light weight, it's just too easy to pick up! Right now it resides next to my chair, ready for instant service! The size of the leather is ideal, and with both compounds on the same stick, what more do you need? Weight-wise, it would be easy to take in a pack, but it's length might be a bit awkward.
It would not make a good club! It just doesn't have the weight - but that makes it much easier to hold and use.
Value for dollar, the KSF is a great deal! I guess that's the advantage of having a herd of goats to work with - once you get them trained up, they just work for weeds and scraps - and the occasional paddle stick!
Critiques? Not really any - you could drill a hole through the handle, if you wanted to hang it up or attach a lanyard - I doubt that I will. I might shape the handle a bit more to fit my own hand - not that it actually needs reshaping, I can just be a picky old codger! And I'm guessing the concept of "hand" is hard to get across to the goats.
Good job, Derrick! This one is a winner!
Photo Out-take:
During the photo-shoot, Pippin the dog had a rude comment to make:
I think it was about the goats, not the strop.
Here's a link to Derrick's site if you want to check out one of these:
Double Sided Strop, Plain
Double Sided Strop with Honing Compound
Mods: I am not connected with KSF in any form, except that I know Derrick from purchasing from him. If the links are illegal, please remove. Thanks!
Bottom line: Derrick and his trained goats have done a great job! (Derrick is a goat rancher, among other things!) This is a great companion to your knives, especially convexed edged ones, and will help to keep them scary sharp!
Details:
Here's the strop as it first arrived:
The first thing I noticed on picking the strop up was how light it is! Really light!
The paper under the strop in the picture above is a very nice set of instructions on how to use the strop. Those of you who are familiar with stropping won't find anything new, I don't think. But it's a nice touch to have a full set of instructions with the strop. Very thoughtful of you, Derrick!
The strop is made on a paint-stirrer type of paddle. I'm not sure what the wood is. The leather is 1 3/4" wide, and 8 1/2" long - excellent size.
The strop is double sided, with a nicely sanded finish on the leather that crayons up really well - very similar to the Sharpshooter strops. The leather is cleanly cut on the edges of the paddle, no gloppy glue drops - good workmanship.
I put the BRKT black compound on one side, and the green on the other - which I'm sure is just what Derrick intended!
How does it work? Just like it should! The KSF strop is very easy to pick up and use - and it's so light I almost want to turn it into a necker to always have it handy! It did a fine job of keeping that scary sharp edge on all the knives I tested on it!
Since there are several other available strops out there, here's a couple shots with some other strops, and a BRKT Canadian Special, just for comparison:
Comparison comments:
The JRE four-sided strop (handle with orange lanyard) is the original and still an outstanding strop. Made of oak, it is heavy enough that it can also be used as a back-up weapon, should your knife not be sharp enough!
The Sharpshooter Bench Hone (large block) is pretty much the "standard", with two sanded pieces of leather, and a unique clamp on the ends for attaching wet/dry sandpaper for more serious sharpening tasks. It is ideal for both honing and working out nicks or bringing up really dull or non-convexed knives.
The Sharpshooter One-Sided Hone (small block) is the smallest (though very adequate), and is made to slip in a pack for stropping service on a pack trip or longer hike. It also fits easily into a small plastic bag.
The KSF Strop is somewhere in the middle:
It'll see constant use here as my everyday hone - with the two sides and light weight, it's just too easy to pick up! Right now it resides next to my chair, ready for instant service! The size of the leather is ideal, and with both compounds on the same stick, what more do you need? Weight-wise, it would be easy to take in a pack, but it's length might be a bit awkward.
It would not make a good club! It just doesn't have the weight - but that makes it much easier to hold and use.
Value for dollar, the KSF is a great deal! I guess that's the advantage of having a herd of goats to work with - once you get them trained up, they just work for weeds and scraps - and the occasional paddle stick!
Critiques? Not really any - you could drill a hole through the handle, if you wanted to hang it up or attach a lanyard - I doubt that I will. I might shape the handle a bit more to fit my own hand - not that it actually needs reshaping, I can just be a picky old codger! And I'm guessing the concept of "hand" is hard to get across to the goats.
Good job, Derrick! This one is a winner!
Photo Out-take:
During the photo-shoot, Pippin the dog had a rude comment to make:
I think it was about the goats, not the strop.
Here's a link to Derrick's site if you want to check out one of these:
Double Sided Strop, Plain
Double Sided Strop with Honing Compound
Mods: I am not connected with KSF in any form, except that I know Derrick from purchasing from him. If the links are illegal, please remove. Thanks!
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