Thread: Light draw vs heavy draw

Is there an advantage of a strop that produces a light draw vs a heavy draw?
I would imagine the heavy draw leather may be more porous\less refined...

The strop I've been using usually starts out very slick with a light draw, then quickly starts to draw heavily.
I prefer the light draw - am I simply looking at a different cut of leather to attain this?

I'm not sure if there is a difference other than how it feels to you. I have a new 3" English Bridle Leather and often combine it's use with a vintage horse shell. The shell is very slick and has an almost feather draw to it. The English has a somewhat heavier draw feel to it. In both cases I use the weight of the razor only when stropping. Very conscious of that since I have a heavy hand. Used separately or number of laps split between them my edges are always giving me DFSs. I reserve BBS for the rare special occasion.

If you want a heavy draw, try the SRD Premium 3 Buffalo strop!

I like the feel of varying draw on strops but have not really noticed any correlation between draw and effect on blade.

Horse is slick. Latigo (bovine) heavier. When I was starting out I had both, and the heavier draw was uncomfortable for me because I felt like the razor was going to come out of my hand. I stuck with the horse and the light draw.

Years down the road I went back and tried the Latigo. The draw didn't feel as heavy as it did when I was starting out. I attribute that to my improvement in stropping technique over the years. The SRD Premium 1 that I bought when they first came out had the perfect compromise of draw for me right out of the box. Not too slick, nor too heavy, but with strops, like just about everything else in this hobby, YMMV.

I have English Bridle, Latigo, SRD premium 1, and Roo. So far Roo is my favorite, just for the pleasantness of stropping, but I really can't compare results, since I used the Latino and Premium 1 when I was brand new, and my stropping has improved a lot since then. Now I almost exclusively used the Roo or the English Bridle.

Draw is a function of leather type and finishing. It has nothing to do with leather quality or I should say there is no correlation because poor leather may very well have heavy draw. I don't know.

Draw is just something some people prefer and some don't.

Originally Posted by tab

The strop I've been using usually starts out very slick with a light draw, then quickly starts to draw heavily.
I prefer the light draw - am I simply looking at a different cut of leather to attain this?

I've had strops act like that. I think it was in my case caused by waxes warming up and coming to the strop surface. After each use I wiped the strop with a damp towel followed by a vigorous rub with a dry towel to gradually reduce the waxes and oil from the stropping surface.

Draw is like the barbers notch,nobody knows what is do's):

Originally Posted by bluesman7

I've had strops act like that. I think it was in my case caused by waxes warming up and coming to the strop surface. After each use I wiped the strop with a damp towel followed by a vigorous rub with a dry towel to gradually reduce the waxes and oil from the stropping surface.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll give this a shot and see if it has any affect!

Originally Posted by tab

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll give this a shot and see if it has any affect!

Based on what I've used, and what I've read here on the forum and other sources.......if you see a difference in results with the different leathers? I suspect it will be due to how each affects your developed stropping abilities in keeping the blade flat, light pressure on the edge, etc. etc.. Too much "draw" (resistance of the razor over the strop) can, in the beginning, cause the spine to pull enough that it will cause the edge to try, or lift off the strop. As you try to compensate for that you can put too much pressure on the edge, (my experience).

IMHO, starting with a strop with a light draw, i.e. SRD Premium I, SRD Roo, etc. will make learning to strop much easier and you can experiment with more draw later to see if you like the feel of more draw, but more or less draw doesn't seem to affect the quality of the edge except in how your technique is affected by the draw.

Best Regards,

Howard