An extra hollow ground razor has very little support behind the edge. Thus, it is easy to develop some misalignment of the edge during the shave. Stropping helps realign the edge so it shaves better. The effect is surprising. I have tried shaving with a razor I have sharpened and found the edge to be rather dull. However, after stropping, the edge is both keen and smooth. I never would have thought stropping would make such a difference, but it does. Thus, you need to get a good strop and you need to develop good stropping technique.

I have a very tough beard. I love shaving with my Boker Extra Hollow, but I only get a few shaves before the edge needs to be refreshed. Those with less coarse beards can go a lot longer. Some say that they can maintain their edge indefinitely using pasted strops with fine abrasives.

Tony Miller is a member of the forum. He is a great guy and he makes some wonderful strops. If you are economically challenged as many people are these days, Tony makes plain vanilla and plain chocolate strops that sell for $55. They are a great value for beginners. If you can afford one of his premium strops with real flax linen components, then you will not be disappointed, but I suggest you wait until you stropping skill improves before you order one. When you are new to stropping, it is common to nick your strop. Once you master the flip at the end of each stroke, such mishaps are uncommon. You can replace the leather component if you nick your strop badly; minor nicks can often be sanded out.

Many of the "linen" components of strops are either synthetic materials or cotton canvas. Stopping on authentic flax linen is a much improved experience.