I agree with Darl and Tom. The black 'Honing Strop' is quite zippy indeed. I have two 'Lips' and both of them have a new or pristine black honing strop. As Darl said per our conversation some time ago I believe the abrasive materiel impregnated in the strop is SiC or a Carborundum type of abrasive. Since my rotation is so large I've never had a reason to use it except to test it out on a Ebay fixer-upper to see how it performs.
I do LOVE the leather strop on both of my Lipshaws and always use it first at the beginning of a progressive stropping routine after honing. Works a treat! The one Lipshaw that I have is unusual and the only one I've seen like it. It is not in a rotating machine set-up but rather a 4-sided stand alone block of wood with the two panels attached to it.
Here are some pics:
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