Originally Posted by PapaBull
Pasted strops are very effective. A razor that is honed properly, however, will not be improved by a pasted strop. A well honed razor and stropped razor is as fine an edge as one can have, in my opinion and is almost certain to have a better, more consistent edge, give a cleaner, more comfortable shave and stay sharp longer.
There's a logical reason behind this. I wouldn't just say that based on an arbitrary judgement call.
What I've concluded is that strops will make it possible to put a shavable edge on a razor that hasn't been properly honed. If the edge isn't "just right", the pasted strop will put some whiteout on the mistake by keeping the flaws from being particularly noticable while shaving. Examples would be sharpening areas of the edge that have micro-pits or never got the full "v" edge beveled and sharpened, leaving areas flat. These will be "rounded" and then re-beveled at a more obtuse angle by the stropping with the paste. Obtuse angles don't cut as well and, although many people think that more obtuse bevels stay sharper longer, actually the opposite has proven to be true (within reason).