Ok, I am sure this question has been asked before but if I put it into search I can't quite get a direct answer to it. I thought I would therefore ask the question to bring it up again for those who wanted to know (like me). Is linen stropping necessary. I can't really make an opinion myself. Until quite recently I didn't notice how effective stropping actually is. I definitely used to strop before but perhaps only 30 laps. Now I do about 60 and I can really feel a difference every time I shave. I do maybe 10 on the linen before I start but this is because I saw a video with Jockeyes saying this was to warm up the blade. I still can't really decide if there is a difference and there have been times I have gone straight to the leather without feeling much difference in shave.

What are your experiences?

Also, have any of you tried cotton? Would cotton have the same purpose as linen, i.e. as a warm up to the leather?