Thread: Leather & canvas strops separate of on one handle?

About to buy my first strop and while I am not buying a high buck version, I don't want to have to replace this one in a few months..

Some strops have a separate handle/ring for each of the canvas and leather strops, while others have both canvas and leather attached to one ring/handle.

Is it less advantageous to have them attached? Should I limit my search to just those that allow the use of one of the strops while the other hangs loosely?

Welcome,,,,either will be fine, whatever is in your price range or preference.

I personally like separate handles, or no handles and separate components. I have had a strop where they were together and it was hard to pull one taut against the other. I ended up carefully cutting the end and putting D rings on both. Problem solved.

Gentlemen, I'll take my strops with two separate components, too. In addition to the practical reasons to have two components, I look at the romance of stropping, as well, because something is missing in the two-sided strop. The paddle strop is a different story, of course, but it's only right that the hanging strop have two components.

Thank you gents!

Separated for me too, even though I hold both when stropping, but can control each independently. Also, depending on where you get your strop, you can replace components if they're damaged, or you just want to change to a different material or leather. Just more flexibility when they're separate, IMO.

Howard

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

Separated for me too, even though I hold both when stropping, but can control each independently.

It is interesting that some strops I have need to be held together and some don't. The difference being if the hanging component starts swinging side to side while I'm stropping on one or the other. I also notice that sometimes the other component, when held together, seems to sort of reinforce/cushion the stropping surface I'm using. More to stropping than meets the eye.

I like them to be separate (fastened together only at hanger end). It is better if they can be tensioned separately, even if both are fastened together at the hanging end. If they are fastened together at both ends, the cloth may stretch or the leather shrink making it hard to keep the cloth taught.

My first strop had the linen fixed to the leather and the linen started to stretch and that made it increasingly difficult to use. I wound up unattaching it.

I have 3 hanging strops and can't get away from using a paddle. I can sit down anywhere and strop. Of course I do about 12 or 14 at a time and I do enough standing and walking the rest of my life :<0)

When i do use the hangers I like things separate. Simplifies things.