Thread: Dovo and Illinois Razor Strops - please advise!

Hi folks!
A time ago I bought this Dovo strop - Dovo Leather and Canvas Shaving Hanging Strop
and I am very happy with him - it works great on my Razors and knives!

Soon I bought Illinois Razor Strop - Razor Strops, Hones, and Accessories
and found that Leather and Linen on Illinois Razor Strop are more rough - coarse, than Leather and Canvas on Dovo strpo!

Is there a reason for this? I found that I sharpen and strop my Razors better on Dovo strop than on Illinois Razor Strop!
Is there a need to some kind of cultivation, tilling, polishing for make Illinois Razor Strop work like Dovo strop?

They're just different - some people prefer smoother leather and linen, some prefer rougher. I have vintage strops that are much rougher than the Illinois linen strop yet perform better than the Dovo. The Dovo canvas actually doesn't seem to do much by itself, so they coat it with their white strop paste at the factory, and this paste is really what seems to improve the edge when you strop.

I do prefer the smoother, less "grabby" leather on the Dovo strops, but some guys around here prefer their leather to be even grabbier than your Illinois strop. Illinois themselves make a strop (#827) that is even rougher than yours, and several respected members use it and love it. It's really just a matter of preference.

Well, is there a way to make this rough leather and canvas strops more soft?!?
Can I apply Bark River White compound paste on canvas part of strops?

Well, when I add white compound from BRKT on my canvas strop from Ilinois I found that he work Just great!!! I will do not search way to make canvas soft! I will try to make leather softer with bee wax!