Quote Originally Posted by cflaageriv View Post
{syslight} Well, I think I've tried it all ways; i.e., just 50/100 linen to leather; then paste every time; you name it, I've tried it. About the only thing I do routinely every time is, after I wipe down a razor following a shave, I always run it about 20-30 times on the linen before storing it. And, of course, the older I get, the less likely I am to remember if indeed it has been through the whole stropping routine. But another thing I will point out - and I think most will agree - is that 100 laps on the strop (done properly, of course) will invariably produce a super smooth(er) shave. But, like most lazy people out there, I often settle for 50 - - and that's my bare minimum. And, I absolutely agree with shooter74743, that's the recommended amount of stropping...and it's for a reason.
To be honest, i almost never count the laps when stropping, i just stand there and strop for a while about a minute between the 2 sides... that and it works well for me and has for quite a while. i tell people 20/50 because they like numbers and if they do not have a minimum count they will try and find it.

like many things regarding shaving the things we learn when we start out are the habits we tend to keep, i strop the way i do because that is how my my dad did, and he probably learned it from his dad. i know i strop more than the barber does when i used to get a shave... he was a 10/20 stropper if that much but he
always used a coticule before the strop.

perhaps i should go away again, you lads had "discovered" lots of new things about razors and shaving in the last couple of years, stropping regimens, dulling the edge on a glass before honing, wales is in the thuringian region of germany and who know what else.

YMMV,
jim