i started with a 2.5 in ilinois. i liked it. then i got a 2.75 russian superior. i really like it. the biggest difference i like is not the width, but the length. 17 inches vs 21ish(have not measured.)

and i have some old 1.5 in paddles with padded leather on 2 sides and a hone on the 3rd. i liked this for the pastes. doing 10 laps on this is much less intrusive than 10 laps on my russian. my other favorite strop is a home made 2 side paddle. 18 inches of leather long, 1.75 inches wide. one side plain, one side cro ox. that thing is golden. that is what i finish honing on before my hanging strop.

vgod