Quote Originally Posted by vai777 View Post
i never understood the balsa strop...why not just use leather
Quote Originally Posted by commiecat View Post
I don't have balsa, but some pros are that it's readily available, inexpensive, and stays flat when being used.
+1 with commiecat. One huge advantage of balsa strops is the fact that they have no "give", the theory being that they reduce the chance of rounding the bevel when using sharpening pastes.

I made my own, and in total it cost me less than $10, and that just about includes the cost of the chrome ox I applied to it as well.