Pasted strop advice needed

Hey guys,

I am looking to get a pasted paddle strop, and need some help. I am thinking of waiting until ~June 10th to get a Tony Miller 4 sided paddle, but am wondering if there are any other suggestions of where to go or other products to consider (TI paddle 2 or 4 sided from classicshaving)?

If I get the 4 sided, what should I paste it with? I believe I can get 3.0, 1.0, 0.5, and 0.25 micron diamond paste from Tony, but I hear a lot of people claiming 0.5 Chromium is great...ask there are not 5 sides, getting all 5 would be impossible.

I should mention that I do have a Norton 4k/8k and a Tony Miller #3 leather/linen strop already.

What do you guys thing of Dovo paste vs. the above options? I'm assuming I shouldn't even think about it, as I don't hear of many people discussing it in the threads.

If I was refreshing a dull razor, could I hone on the Norton and then move directly to the pasted paddle, or would I need another higher grit stone?

Sorry for all the questions guys....but thank you!

There are several different Dovo pastes. I've used their white paste as well as their red and black set. They all work fine. Functionally speaking I don't have any real preference.

Their black paste can be messy, and you need to store their black and and their red pastes in the freezer to keep them from melting. Chrome oxide produces a great edge, but is a bit messy - that green color shows up really well against white paint. Diamond isn't as messy, but generally speaking produces a harsher and less sharp edge until you go to the 0.25 micron stuff, where it produces a harsher but sharper edge... In the coarser grits it is a surprisingly good substitute for a stone, but that's not an issue for you since you've got the norton. Really all you need is something in the 0.5 micron range that leaves a nice smooth edge and you're set. Chrome oxide is great at this if the mess isn't a problem. I used it for years and loved it until the wife got mad about the green tint around the bathroom light switch. Nowadays I mostly use the white rouge stick from Harbor Freight. I have no idea what's in it but I love the edges I get with it.

If I couldn't stand to wait for a TM paddle then I'd probably go with the TI wide paddle and put some of the Classic Shaving white lapping paste on the suede side. It leaves a nice fine edge and isn't prone to harshness, and because it's white it leaves less of a mess, especially if you've got light-colored walls. If you want to go all-TI then their honing stick is fairly good but is only about 1 micron, but once it loads up a bit it leaves a finer edge than you'd expect.

Alot of guys do .5 diamond and then cromium oxide. Many say the shave off the .25 diamond is harsh so the .5 gets it nice and sharp then the cro smooths it out.

personally I have gone with the felt hanger from SRD and .5 diamond spray and crom ox powder...been working ok for me