The paddle is more versatile for several reasons. It's easier to travel with,you do not want to fold a regular strop in a suitcase. It will ruin it. The paddle is interchangeable,and in the long run that is awesome. You can try other leathers and use several different pads for different paste applications. Plus i found it easier to learn how to strop on. I started out with a SRD original version paddle(it didn't have the interchangeable pads and leathers) and learned the proper technique before i went out and bought a regular strop. Now i have several different strops plus the SRD original paddle. And i use them all