For a secondary component to a strop which of these is preferred? Is one simply superior to the others or do they all have their pros/cons? As a newbie to strops, when I see these materials I have no clue which one to get. I don't think I'll be putting pastes or sprays on them. So with that in mind, which would you all recommend?
Cotton, Nylon, or Hard Wool Felt?
- Thread starter gull
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They all work about the same, if they're all quality ones... However, I personaly prefer SRD's Herringbone Cotton (Now "Premium Fabric"), and SRD's Webbed Fabric.
Those two are my favorites, followed very closely by TM's Linen. The TM nylon is too "slick" for me... It just doesn't have any feel to it. I also reallly like Ambrose's cotton. It's very zippy, but has the right coarseness.
Those two are my favorites, followed very closely by TM's Linen. The TM nylon is too "slick" for me... It just doesn't have any feel to it. I also reallly like Ambrose's cotton. It's very zippy, but has the right coarseness.
How about TM's cotton element? How does that compare to the Linen component?
It gets the job done, and it does it well, but it's not my favorite... As the name implies, it's very smooth. Doesn't have the friction or zip that I enjoy so much. Otherwise a great material (IE: The results are there, I just prefer the feel of other ones)
Thanks
I would have worded it thusly: "It's all the same crap". But I'm salty. My experience with cloth has been thus. There's bad. There's really bad. And there's stuff that works. The plastic card crap on Bismark/Illinois works but counts as bad because it is almost totally inflexible. The felt on zeepks I don't think does anything. The vintage Canvas hose (if it isn't dried out and flaking) and Ambrose's cloth, and even the true 1/4" thick canvas slab on my old bulgarian strop all work about the same. Draw varies a bit, but none stands out from the others. Save your money, get the cheap option for cloth and get spendy on leather.
I may be mistaken here, but I believe that felt alone is almost totally useless and it's there pretty much for the sole purpose of pasting. Hopefully someone who uses it can confirm/deny this.
I was fine with the TM cotton, but very happy with it when I added Dovo white paste to it. Also I think most prefer the felt to be used with pastes.
I use a strop with unpasted felt. It's sold purpose as I see it, is to dry/clean the blade prior to taking it to the leather side. The hard felt turns black with usage, indicating that there is some dirt it is removing from the blade.
Genuine linen, a bit more expensive, but the only thing IMO, that really does anything good for the blade in an un-pasted state.
Otherwise good quality cotton with DOVO White paste (chalk) is good substitute
Otherwise good quality cotton with DOVO White paste (chalk) is good substitute
My first strop has a webbed linen secondary, my second strop has the nylon, and my third strop has the hard felt.
I use the secondary strop after each shave to help dry the razor before stropping on the leather and storing.
I feel that the webbed linen and hard felt have a similar draw where the nylon has almost no draw/resistance. I also notice that after using the hard felt not only does it appear to pick up any moisture better than the linen, its smoother edge seems to provide a more comfortable shave.
I use the secondary strop after each shave to help dry the razor before stropping on the leather and storing.
I feel that the webbed linen and hard felt have a similar draw where the nylon has almost no draw/resistance. I also notice that after using the hard felt not only does it appear to pick up any moisture better than the linen, its smoother edge seems to provide a more comfortable shave.
I agree the nylon is way too slippery, it's like a seatbelt basically?
The hardpressed felt is good and has a nice draw, I feel it also gives a little clean and warm up before going to leather imagine, but I read somewhere it makes little to no difference compared to leather stropping?
That being said the felt is supposed to be better for diamond paste/spray as the little grains get caught up better in the felt, and can give a less harsh finish to the blade.
If it were up to me and I were just getting one felt type material, it'd be SRD Premium. It's like $5 and can be used for Crox and general stropping duties.
The hardpressed felt is good and has a nice draw, I feel it also gives a little clean and warm up before going to leather imagine, but I read somewhere it makes little to no difference compared to leather stropping?
That being said the felt is supposed to be better for diamond paste/spray as the little grains get caught up better in the felt, and can give a less harsh finish to the blade.
If it were up to me and I were just getting one felt type material, it'd be SRD Premium. It's like $5 and can be used for Crox and general stropping duties.
I've only had a couple, but I loved TM's linen for the feedback, and Ambrose's cotton is almost as good. I can't imagine nylon is as rewarding to use.
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I ended up getting the cotton. It has almost no draw and I keep feeling like I'm using the wrong side 
Never used the nylon, something about using a seatbelt to strop rubs me the wrong way. Pressed wool works wonders on a freshly honed edge. Linen and cotton have different feels but similar efficacy.
Might want to try Dovo's white paste. It really makes cotton shine.
Might want to try Dovo's white paste. It really makes cotton shine.
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