Thread: "Proper" Width of a Strop?

I personally believe that there is a lot of benefit in doing some X stroke during stropping. The strops I make are 2.5" wide, and I believe that is the optimal width, not being too narrow, but still allowing for some X during the stroke. it also reduces the chances of cupping, etc, which can happen more easily on the wider strops.

Historically strops were generally narrower, usually closer to the 2" mark. The 3" strop is a fairly new invention.

The wider the strop the more chance for cupping. X strokes are always good. It's better to learn the right way and not use a wide strop as a crutch. Some do prefer wider and that's fine but one you learn to do it the classic way the width does not matter.