Thread: Really glad I upgraded

After a little over a year and a half of using a straight razor I decided to purchase a new strop. My first strop was a TM 4-sided paddle strop with three sides meant for pastes and one with just plain leather for daily stropping. This strop was ideal for me at the time since I was able to refresh the edge with diamond pastes instead of getting it honed.

For a year now I've been refreshing my blades on a C12k and shaving straight off it with great results, so I haven't been going to the pastes. As a result I was only using the leather side of my paddle strop, giving it about 70 laps and then shaving. I figured I had a good enough setup and my shaves were great, so I didn't see the point in buying a new strop with one of them fancy fabric sides.

As time went past though, I began to look more and more at hanging strops and how maybe I should get one since they always seemed to be the "proper traditional" thing to use.

A recent change in jobs finally let me have a little wiggle room for discretionary spending while still putting away enough for grad school so I picked up this baby: http://http://www.fendrihan.com/latigo-strop-with-ring-p-637.html

It's not the fanciest strop but my last few shaves with using it have been like night and day compared to my other strop. This thing has put an insanely smooth edge on my razors that when I first used it I though that I had screwed up and rolled the edge. After checking, I saw that it was still cutting hair, but was gliding across my face like it was butter. I thought the shaves I was getting before were good, but this is ridiculous.

I'm not sure what exactly it is, but I suspect it has to be some combination of stropping on fabric before the leather and having more of a stropping surface. I've been going 50 laps fabric/50 laps leather, and it's been pure bliss.

Originally Posted by ATG

I'm not sure what exactly it is, but I suspect it has to be some combination of stropping on fabric before the leather and having more of a stropping surface. I've been going 50 laps fabric/50 laps leather, and it's been pure bliss.

I would suspect that you are correct. I believe daily material stropping (linen, canvas, webbing, etc) is important for a great shave, at least IME. You could try playing around with your ratios, but if it's working out for you then I'd say leave well enough alone.

Of course, if you do say 60 laps on a standard sized hanging strop vs 60 on one of those itty bitty travel type paddles you would have to increase the laps on the paddle so the time the razor spends on the leather is about the same. The fabric strop as you have surmised does improve things also.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

I would suspect that you are correct. I believe daily material stropping (linen, canvas, webbing, etc) is important for a great shave, at least IME. You could try playing around with your ratios, but if it's working out for you then I'd say leave well enough alone.

Yeah, most likely I will be fiddling with the ratios, I just selected 50/50 as a default. I'll see if it gets any better from there.

Originally Posted by ATG

Yeah, most likely I will be fiddling with the ratios, I just selected 50/50 as a default. I'll see if it gets any better from there.

I typically do 40/60 and will up the numbers for stiffer grinds. Some guys may do less, some more, I've just found what works for me and my technique.