Thread: Paddle strop or hanging strop

What do you guys think of using a paddle strop. I am familiar with paddle strops and have a couple so I am thinking I could get double duty out of it. I have also always made my knife strops out of Vegetable tanned cow leather. If I do go with a paddle strop what type of leather do you think I should use? and canvas or suede for the other side?

Looking forward to read what you all think.

Hanging.

If you are new to stropping, learning to strop properly is more important than the type of strop and what the strop is made from. Stropping is the final finish that you will put on a bevel and edge before you shave with it, so the quality of your stropping can literally make or break your edge.

Generally, most new stroppers use too much pressure, a paddle strop is ridged and unforgiving. Too much pressure will roll the edge. A hanging strop will naturally have more flex and less likely to cause damage when pressure is used, though too much pressure or incorrect technique can damage an edge.

It is common for a new stropper to cut their first strop learning how to strop, and it can take about a year of daily stropping before you are consistently improving a shaving edge. So, what the strop is made from does not matter much, the performance will be about the same.

Veg tanned leather is just fine, you might want to look at a piece of nylon strapping for a practice strop, they are almost indestructible and for a new stropper will produce as good a finish as most leather.

Once you have mastered stropping, then buy a quality strop, then the strop material can make a difference.

Stropping is often, way under rated.

The three stages of SR stropping

#1 Trying to do no harm, Actually during this stage a bench/paddle strop or placing the hanging strop along the edge of a table or counter can help teach the "Flip"

#2 Doing no harm, This is when the new guy finally manages to stop rolling edges and nicking the strop, the "flip is pretty smooth and an actual stropping pattern is realized, rather than going straight up and down the strop

#3 Actually improving the edge, Finally you have a smooth light stroke with a pattern that moves the spine and therefore the edge evenly and equally across the strop... You can now take a Meh edge and strop it back in to peak performance.. It is also at this point when you begin to realize the importance of a Hanging strop being able to adjust tension to match the razor


As my friend Marty already said above "Stropping is Often Underrated"

Ok so buy a cheap strop to start. Don't use a paddle or bench strop and canvas is a good starting point. Did i read that rite?

The stropping section in the library is your friend
https://shavelibrary.com/w/Razor_stropping

Also check out this thread and video, it shows up close the flip gssixgun mentioned.
https://sharprazorpalace.com/stroppi...ing-video.html

I love stropping, I find it very relaxing and medative. My choice is the hanging strop but have a few paddle strops for diamond pastes.

When learning to strop a razor, pay attention.

The only time I have ever nicked a strop is when talking to someone. I have a couple strops on the doorknob of the hallway just outside the bathroom.

If my bride talks to me, I stop stropping and answer her. If she enters the hallway, bathroom or attached bedroom, I stop stropping. The slightest distraction can cause you to roll an edge or nick a strop.

Pick up a piece of 2-inch nylon strapping, the finer the weave the better and practice on that, $2-4 a yard at any fabric store. An 18-inch loop of paracord will hang on the doorknob and put the strop at waist height.

You can always paste it later for a great pasted strop substrate.

I have to go along with the crowd on this one. The stropping is more important than the strop. But in a head to head battle for best pre-shave strop, I believe a hanging strop is better than a paddle, for the reasons already stated. Nothing wrong with a decent piece of veg tanned cowhide for a hanging strop. I own a Kanayama and my favorite strop is one I made, compressed veg tanned cowhide, D ring top and bottom, a hair under 3" wide and long enough to not crowd my stroke. The difference between different types of leather is more preference than anything else. Between two different types of leather where they are both smooth and free of wrinkles and creases, there is practically no difference in the end result. It is 99% the hand using it. And so, you don't really need a fancy expensive strop starting out. In fact staying sort of low budget is a good way to start. Make your learning mistakes on something adequate but expendable. Making your own isn't unrealistic. Make two. One is your practice strop. Strop any old razor on that one, just to get the hang of flipping the EDGE over and keeping the spine ON THE STROP when you turn to go the other way at either end of the stroke. Never lift the spine off the strop if the edge is on the strop or soon will be on the strop. Stretch it fairly tight but not super tight. Lay the razor on the strop, don't press it down. Even if your strop is nice and wide, use a bit of an X stroke. To do that, you pull the razor slightly across the strop as you stroke it up or down the strop.

There's lots of good videos on YT about how to strop your razor.

I have two very good strops: a very smooth Japanese shell with an extremely light draw and a Scrupleworks with a relatively heavy draw. I do not have a preference and they each result in good edges for me.

I do have a travel paddle strop that I take camping that has chromium oxide on leather on one side and plain leather on the other. It does what it is supposed to do and yields a pretty good edge as well. It has grooves cut lengthwise into the wood to give some flex when stropping.

I have one other paddle strop: hard felt with diamond spray on one side and balsa with chromium oxide on the other. I use it after restoring a razor edge from bevel set and whenever an edge needs a significant refresh.

My answer to the OP’s question is “It depends”.

We can produce point / counterpoint about a hanging vs paddle strop all day long and it don't mean jack diddley unless you get a comfortable shave. Really the right answer here is whatever one (Hanging or Paddle), gives you the best shave that works with your face. Pretty simple!

Need to start somewhere! ...