I also strop before ,35 laps, and after, 10 laps, each shave. It really is all a matter of personal preferance on when you strop. Just as long as you do strop at some point before each shave. Make sure when you go to strop you go nice and slow using a fluid motion. While the razor is on the leather it should always be moving.

Also as a side note you might want to hold on to that gillette you never know when you might need it. Each tool has a purpose it just might not be what it was built for.