Originally Posted by
BeBerlin
Right.
As far as so called beginners strops are concerned: Get a real strop direct, but get one with replaceable parts. The ones sold by SRD would be my personal recommendation. They are moderately priced for what they deliver, the spare parts are also affordable, and you can start with a cheap one, and upgrade to even better leather, or different backing materials, later. Or, get the modular paddle, which is the most sensible route if you want to keep your number of equipment items down to a minimum, but still use diamond spray or CrO at a later stage.
Happy shopping,
Robin