Canvas strop

I only have a leather strop, do I really need a canvas one as well?

Some folks do not use canvas. The only way to know is to try. I am assuming you are asking to save some money, avoiding buying something you really do not need. If you are getting good results without a canvas prep you would not need it. However, if you are asking because you are not getting good results; well, that might me more complex than getting canvas.

I've never used or found the need for canvas. However as Mephisto stated its totally up to the user. Everyone has different ideas on how to hone,strop or even how to use a razor. Find your sweet spot and go for it.

I think it's a good idea. Of course that's because I like using them. I think it improves the stropping experience.

You need a cloth strop. Linen ??? Personally I like cotton belting better. Fine weave and the larger weave too. Use both with paste.

If you note the amount of dark residual steel particles on a well used linen strop, it might suggest that using a linen side will protect your fine leather side from collecting so much embedded steel particles that the strop can't do its job sufficiently . Linen stropping is a cleaning process as well as a sharpening process IMO.

Jerry

I think besides cleaning the razor some before going to the leather it also speeds up the stropping process some by getting those little molecules that are really out of line back in step first. After honing I would never go directly to leather.

I agree with the above,
I use the Linen side for three things

1) To clean particulates left from honing

2) CrOx on the back side for a few of the wedges I have, I like the finish on my English wedges,
I feel they get a deeper scratch pattern from the finisher due to softer steel and weight of the blade thus taking a few more shave/strop sessions to mellow and really come into their own if I don't do it(YMMV).

3) Quick clean post shave (around 10-20 laps I don't count)

I wonder if the reason for the old barber manuals say not to use the canvas right after honing is the abrasives added (chalk etc.) to the canvas. Maybe too much of a good thing. For untreated linen, though I usually do a few laps on untreated TM linen after honing to remove any debris that I don't want getting into my leather.

Linens were treated with a variety of finishes but predominately of the wax type in my experience ( old strops). New linens are generally left untreated e.g. no paste or wax.
Like others here, I feel the linen works great as the step before the leather. Just like going through the grades when honing. Its use can recover an edge without resorting to the hone (even without paste: raw linen).