Thread: Feeling when Stroping is enough...

I had been sitting this thread out but I've thought about it for the last few days. I'm in the group that thinks draw actually increases towards the end. Someone has mentioned that it seems different from razor to razor. (In reference to the sound.)

Razors are individuals, and strops are individuals. I have to assume that the draw smooths out and increases because of the strop warming up ever so slightly.

Some of us have strop/razor combos that allow that to happen. Some of us have strop/razor combos that aren't affected by the slight heat buildup.


Soooo....some of us think the draw increases, some think it decreases. Depends on the leather/linen/steel we're using.

Originally Posted by thecornerbooth

I know the sensation you're talking about.

When my razor comes off of my barber hone, it has very little draw. After a shave or two, the amount of draw has increased significantly.

This leads me to believe that i am stropping incorrectly (too much pressure), or not enough laps.

I usually do about 35-40 laps on my filly. I am going to increase this number to something like 100 and reduce the pressure dramatically.

I will let you know what i find out.

I can't say definitively because it has only been two days, but it seems like my hypothesis of me using too much pressure is correct. I didn't think i was using too much pressure, but i think i am going to try to go the other way to find out if i can find a point where i can tell i am using not enough pressure...

For my last 2 shaves, i have been literally only using the weight of a the razor (Best Quality Dovo 6/8) against my strop (filly) and it seems like the shaves are much better. Additionally, the amount of drag during stropping has been more or less constant whereas before it would be fairly pronounced in the beginning for about 25-40 laps, then fade away.

I don't understand the big picture at this point and it could certainly be a placebo effect at this point. It could also be that I am subconsciously changing the angle of the razor or a million other variables. At any rate, my last few shaves are better so i figured i am going to run with it and see what happens.

My experience is that all things being equal, strop and razor, the draw of the razor fresh of the hone increases. Friction is high and as the blade dulls over time the draw reduces .