Thread: The correct way to count when stropping?

I have read many posts suggesting how many times to strop after a shave or how many times to strop before and after a shave. What is the correct way to count when stropping? And what is the correct amount for me? I only shave once a week.

Is a one count when you strop both sides of the blade once or should that be considered a two count?

Thank you!

One stroke is when u bring the blade forward and back, thats 1 lap. u want to do around 50 of them before u shave every time u shave. After your shave and your blade is thoroughly dried out, do about 15 laps to ensure the bevel gets clean.

A one count is a trip up and back on the strop. You'll have to experiment to see what works for you on what razor. My preferance is before shave..30linen/60leather and after shaving 20leather.

Third time is a charm! 1 stroke up and 1 back = 1 lap. As coach used to say, "Do laps now! Give me 50!".

I have a Dovo Micarta and a 3" Black Latigo Strop with the SRD Premium Fabric.

Does this make a difference when to use the leather and/or the fabric and how many laps? I was told without really asking that if I only shave once a week I would rarely use the fabric.

The count is just a guide to get started and get you into the ball park. After doing it for a while you get get a feel for the time on the strop and what works best for you. When you really get good at stropping you will have trouble counting that fast when you get over single syllable numbers. LOL

You shouldn't rely much on counting, at least not when learning. X number of strokes on the linen and then another X strokes on the leather is rather meaningless. More important is the condition of the stropped edge. You may achieve a keen edge after any number of strokes. But unless you are able to determine what a keen edge is, and how to determine if you've achieved that type of edge, you may strop forever and not get a good shaving edge. You need a more reliable gauge than counting.

Just because one person strops 20 times on linen and 30 times on leather means nothing. For all you know your razor is shave ready after only 10 strokes on the leather only. The key is - do you know how to tell?