Thread: Can you tell sharpness of a razor from the feel on a strop?

No.........

There is a very, very, subtle sound difference as the edge is stropped in and smooths up, by being burnished by the strop... Depending on the strop there can be a very slight change in feel...

But everyone answering is assuming a sharp edge, in their answer..

Although it would be a huge waste of time, try NOT setting the bevel, but polishing out the the sides of the bevel to 8k+... Then stropping it in... I would be willing to bet, you get the same feel and sound from a perfectly dull, but polished edge....

This is a superb thread! I thought I was going bananas but I've been feeling this too while stropping. I have definitely had this with my Puma since I got it more than three years ago. All my other razors have given similar feelings but none as consistent as my Puma.

Good thorough answers - I could have never described as so.

I agree with Glen - in theory, it is the side of the bevel that hits the strop. If it is somehow wrapping around the edge you are in trouble. So any feel changes you get on the strop are only reflecting what is happening on the side of the bevel. If the bevel is not set (as in the two sides do not meet at a narrow enough distance), you may well feel a change on the strop as the sides smooth out, and this change in feel will have nothing to do with edge sharpness.

However, under the assumption that you are stropping a shave-ready razor in the first place, I have sometimes noticed a change in strop feel. I do not worry too much about it though, as I have shaved with hundreds of razors where that does not happen and have still gotten excellent shaves.

So IMO, strop feel is neither a necessary nor sufficient criteria for a good shave, although it can be indicative for some razors with some strops under some conditions.

James.