Quote Originally Posted by kevo View Post
Does anyone know if the DOVO and Illinois strops on classicshaving.com are good strops? In general, what makes one strop better than the other?
I'm not a big fan of the linen on the new Illinois strops, but the DOVO strops are great. I've got the one linked a few comments above and really like it. The "standard" width for the vintage strops in the US is 2 1/2 inches, and that strop is only slightly narrower, not really enough to make a difference. Most paddle strops are even narrower than that after all. I tend to do an X pattern on the strop just like I do on the hone, so full length contact on the blade doesn't really matter as much.

Strops tend to use different linen and different leather, and some people have strong preferences in these matters. I tend to prefer low-draw leather like shell cordovan, and tend to prefer coarse linen like Dovo uses and some of the old vintage strops like the Sears Craftsman used.