Thread: Progressive Stropping - Is There A Benefit?

I have 5 strops, each of which clearly falls into the category of light, medium or high draw. I rotate through them evenly. While I enjoy the different feedback they each give, I have never noticed that any one strop gives me a better edge.

For some time I've been reading about progressive stropping - starting on a high draw strop, moving to a medium draw strop, then finishing on a light draw strop. The concept is similar to progressing from low grit to higher grit hones. I'm curious as to whether this is where we are heading and if there is a benefit to the blade.

I'd like to hear the comments and experiences of members regarding the practice. If it is beneficial, what is the reasoning behind it?

I think AFdavis is the only one I remember really putting this to the test. At least that i remember posting about it. So you may want to pm him and see if he found and Benefit from it.

This would make sense if the strop had any practical level of abrasion and if that abrasion corresponded to draw, but I don't think either of those things are true. For instance, the flesh side of a strop has plenty of draw, but actually is softer than the grain side, and is certainly no more abrasive (like I said I think both sides are effectively non-abrasive).

If you are paying more attention to stropping then yes there is a benefit as to whether that is from the different "Draws" I have my doubts, but really does it matter ???
You would be experimenting, having fun, and possibly learning to strop better

I have two strops and two types of linen. I have not yet seen a difference from one to the next. I strop on red latigo until I 'feel' that feedback I want. Usually 40- 50 passes I guess. I don't know because I don't count them. I have denim from an old pair of blue jeans that I use after I touch up my razor on a fine grit hone. I just stick with what works for me. YMMV of course.

I did this for about a year or so, give or take. I'd start with a heavy draw strop, like a Latigo, or my English Bridle, down to a smoother strop. I did it because I have lot's of strops, maybe 12 or so, I don't know...So, I figured, why not...? My favorite was 25 linen, then 25 on SRD's English Bridle, then 25 on SRD's Premium 1. I posted about this over a year ago, and I believe it wound up on another forum.

Was there any benefit....? Hard to say, but it certainly doesn't hurt. Looking at it from a honing perspective, there must be. IIRC, there as an experiment on just this, on another site I will not name. They're conclusions were, that there was no clear benefit when doing this.

If you have strops with different draw, There's no reason at all you can't use them in progression. At the very least, they're getting used. Right?

Anyway, I'm back to using a single strop at a time.

There's no benefit in terms of what the OP is implying IMO. There cannot be - leather is non-abrasive and draw is mainly to do with the surface treatment.

Having said that, I agree with Glen - moving from strop to strop in a "progression" certainly cannot hurt and will in fact probably improve your edge because you are getting more practice at stropping.

James.

I use a progression of leather on mine off the hones. It really has smoothed my edges on the first shave. I have 3 different panels from Neil Miller and go from his heaviest draw 3 coats of oil natural bridle to European tallow tanned to slick cowhide. Heavy to light. 34 laps each on average. Might seem a bit overkill, but puts my best foot forward right off the hones, IMO.
And No. I do not do this in my daily stropping!

Wow, sounds like way too much work to me. I use just one, plain old untreated double hanging strop, and that's it. But the general consensus here on SRP has always been, YMMV, "To each his own...", "If it works for you...", Etc...

I get the "Hobby" aspect of straight razor shaving. So if you are really into stropping, and are really after that penultimate "Dayammmm" sharp razors edge, well hey, if it works for you...

The comparison of progressive honing to stropping is invalid. One the one hand we know the different hones at different grits do different things. On the other hand there is no evidence plain leather strops with differing draw makes any difference.

From my own experience the draw has zero to do with what the strop does. It's just the feedback you get. Maybe different draw causes you to strop a particular strop differently and that results in a differing result. That's just a guess. I would think a different result would be obtained by using different critters for a strop since the qualities of the leather can be quite different from critter to critter however I've not found that to be the case and I've had strops from just about every critter that's ever walked, crawled or swam.