Thread: Draw - what is it?

I noticed this was not in the Wiki's FAQ in such a way as to be easily found, so I amended the entry this morning: FAQ - What is Draw?

This is how I describe it:

Draw is the suction sensation that can occur between some razors and some strops during the action of stropping. The degree of draw is often gauged by experienced users to help determine the qualities of both the strop and the particular razor's edge that is being stropped.

Experienced users, feel free to amend and correct It's so easy, even a caveman could do it! (login here)

As you strop, you may feel some resistance to your stropping motion that seems to come from beneath the razor, pulling it to the leather like a vacuum. I believe that is exactly what is happening, and that is the draw. Some strops like those made of latigo leather will exhibit this more strongly than strops made of other material such as horsehide, and some razors will also produce this more easily than others. I generally find wedgy razors to be less prone to producing this sensation than full hollow ground razors.