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Selecting a Strop

Selecting a strop - what you need


What you NEED, versus what you WANT are 2 totally different subjects, and the truth of the matter is, you can get pretty OK results stropping on a yellow legal pad. What works best however, is leather, so you really need a decent leather strop. Now, provided you don't nick/cut up your strop on accident, and take proper care of it, a decent quality strop will last you a lifetime and is well worth the investment, to a point.


Getting back to what you NEED. The nice thing about this subject is there IS a very clear answer:
A simple leather strop is enough. It doesn't need to be the top of the line since you will most likely damage that strop. You could also go with a combo strop that has a piece of canvas and leather. You don't need the canvas to strop your straight but, stropping on canvas first will extend the period of time between honing sessions. So why start with a cheap strop? Firstly, you are most likely to nick your strop while learning the technique. Secondly, these low priced strops performs just as well as the more expensive ones. The difference in strops pricing has often little to do with quality, it has mostly to do with cost (of the hardware) and the additional time/labor involved in making the fancy handles, affixing swivels, having a linen side, etc.


With the above said, if you want the prettiest strop in the land, and it's worth the extra $ (3-4X more expensive) and you are willing to take the risk of potentially nicking up/ruining your expensive strop, by all means indulge, you won't be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you can control yourself, from a performance or quality aspect there is absolutely no reason to buy anything other than a less expensive beginner/travel strop, and you can put the money saved on the strop towards things such as hones, and better razors, which WILL affect the quality of your shave.


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