Thread: X Pattern and 3 inch wide

Fatboy Slim(Tim) came over this past weekend and was showing me his strops. He owns just about every strop out there right now. He told me that he liked the 2-2.5 inch strops better than the 3. He feels like he gets more out of the X pattern to help bring his blades back to par on the smaller strops.

I feel the same way. I am still relatively new at this and started with an Illinios 827 strop which is 2.5 inches wide. I had to return that back to the vendor because of the leather shrinking but it still taught me the X pattern.

I ended up buying a 3 inch TM Latigo strop and it came in the week. I guess my question is do you still think the X pattern is effective on the 3 inch wide strops?

Im not sure if Im not used to the 3 inch wide strops yet, but do most people do the X or just go straight up and down. I seem to be finding that the practice strop actually works better since it is 2 inches wide. Again, Im not sure if this is just in my head or I haven't found the best method for the 3 inch strops.

To sum up it my questions are
Do you prefer the narrower strops 2-2.5 inches?
Do you still do the X pattern on the 3 inch wide strops?
Do you feel the X pattern is more effective for stropping your blade?

Yes, yes, and yes a little better.

I concur on all three.

I own a number of strops: 2," 2.5," and 3." After using all three sizes over a period of time, I find that I prefer the 2.5" -- I find that with that size I'm better able to keep the blade in proper contact with the leather.

I personally prefer a 2 1/2" over any other width for general use. Even the proportions of a 2 1/2" just look better to me but the marketplace wants the 3" it seems over everything. Maybe it is the bigger is better concept. If you look at the Dovo/Jemico offerings most of their line ends at 2" with various 1 1/2" and 1 3/4" models but a single 3". A quick ebay search will find most of the traditional USA strops were 2 1/2" as is most of the Illinois line from years ago.

I do think a 3" may be easier for a beginner though as there is no "need" to do an X-pattern and I always wonder how many newbies nick their strops trying to learn the half flip, slide sideways, finish the flip move that the x-pattern requires at the end of each pass.

Some may argue that the wider 3" width is more likely to cup but from what I have seen that is more a result of the type of leather used than the width. A properly constructed 3" wide strop from the right leather will remain reasonably flat. I have owned many a commercial 2" model that went from flat to cupped in a very short time.

My 2 cents.

Tony

Yeah I prefer the 2 1/2 as well but I also use the 2 3/4 and 3". Matter of fact not long ago I ordered another horse/latigo/linen from Tony in 2 1/2 and sold my 3" in the classifieds. I guess I'm used to that size from my vintage strops. I have no problem doing the x stroke on my SRD premium 1 though and basically there is little if any difference to me between the two sizes.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Yes, yes, and yes a little better.

As above.
I've even used a 1.5" auto strop for a while. Don't find size matters too much.

I specifically ordered a 3" latigo when I was wet behind the ears, to avoid decrease the likelihood of nicks from turning the blade in the X pattern. By now, I've become proficient enough so it doesn't matter as much but ironically, I took my practice stop on vacation and the first time I used it, made a nasty cut on the thing. I see no difference in the effect on the blade either way.

What is really funny for me is that I still have 20 2 1/2 vintage strops in my closet and for 35 years I would use nothing else. I avoided the 3 inch strop for a few years after they were introduced and thought I would never use one. Then after using one for a few weeks, very much to my surprise I ended up not being able to imagine using any strop other than the 3 inch. They are simply the most comfortable size strop out there regardless of whether you do an X stroke or not. They are so easy to keep the spine and edge on when stropping, that I am amazed they did not produce these in the ol' days.

I still use those 2 1/2 inch vintage strops whenever I am testing leathers so that I know I am getting as good or better results than from the vintage stuff, but even my Kanayama which I enjoy a ton, along with my vintage strops just feel so small to me now.

It's still really a personal preference thing on most of this. I know when I used the strop that is also 3 inches longer than normal, I really enjoy it and that only took a day or two to get used to. I still don't mind the regular length near as much as I do the vintage width. Oh well..........

Have fun,

Lynn

Been doing a whole bunch of stropping mainly to further refine my skill but to start to get a feel for the 3 inch. I have been doing the X pattern and have been getting really good results.

I would like to be able to go up and down as well and get good results but more practice is needed.

Thank you for all the thoughtful replies