No more hanging strops for me.

[IMightBeWrong]

This is only my personal experience, so keep doing whatever works for you. I tried stropping with a hanging strop from WCS for a month before finally giving up on it. Read the experience of others here, watched what the proper technique looked like, and after doing all I could to replicate it for that month I just couldn't get a good shave. Stropping just seemed to round my edge and dull my razor more so than it helped. Now that I've been playing around with my gear, I've FINALLY gotten a shave I can enjoy from a paddle strop. I hit some green rouge, then some red, then a flat piece of plain leather on it with a hard backing and my razor is HHT3. The hanging strop just wouldn't get my razor to this level and my shave is now both closer and more comfortable using a hard backed strop.

Not saying it doesn't work, but it didn't work out well for me until now. Man am I glad that there isn't just one way to strop! YMMV

 

[DFSDAILY]

I've never used a hanging strop and don't have any plans for one, unless someone gives it to me.

 

[IMightBeWrong]

For the sake of not wasting the 50 bucks I put into my strop I'm using it for knives. I've loaded it with some compounds and I'll see how it does as a convex edge finisher.

 

[memnochlv]

Do whatever works for you =P If you feel the need to go back and try to master a hanging strop, more power to you, otherwise, do whatever works or else you'll be hurting in the edge maintenance department.

 

[IMightBeWrong]

For sure. Another great shave again today with the paddle stropped razor. BBS with the exception of a normal trouble spot (just my technique on that one, still working on that). I have a couple of knives that seem to like the hanging strop, though, as long as I keep it taught.

 

[jeff_C]

you guys are killing me. I have a hanger arriving tomorrow LOL.

 

[thatsilverguy]

Mine hangs from the middle pin on my home-office door. I used to have mine hanging from the top pin so now I strop kinda like Seraphim does:

 

[global_dev]

you guys are killing me. I have a hanger arriving tomorrow LOL.

I think many of us do just fine with a hanging strop, so no need to worry too much.

 

[mwhitcraft]

I am sure you've heard this a thousand times, but the key to hanging strops is 1. Keep it taught and 2. No pressure, only the weight of the blade and 3. Never let the spine of the razor leave the strop.

If you are happy with the paddle strops, keep using them, but, in the future, don't write off hanging strops!

 

[FaPat5]

I've been tempted with a paddle for final stropping for while (TI do a nice one) as I don't have a good place to hang my normal strop....maybe I need to invest in one at last lol

 

[wquiles]

I am sure you've heard this a thousand times, but the key to hanging strops is 1. Keep it taught and 2. No pressure, only the weight of the blade and 3. Never let the spine of the razor leave the strop.

If you are happy with the paddle strops, keep using them, but, in the future, don't write off hanging strops!

+1

I have seen videos with varying pressure on the strop - you do need "some" pressure for the strop to work and do "whatever stropping does", but I feel keeping it taught is the more important part. I was recently trying something new, and did not keep the strop taught, and sure enough I ended up rounding the bevel.

 

[Thomas Martin]

"No pressure" on the blade while stropping is virtually impossible.

 

[global_dev]

Guys, I don't know if it's a result of autocorrect ( it gets me all the time, especially on the phone ) but strops should be taut, strop making is taught.

 

[Doc226]

Guys, I don't know if it's a result of autocorrect ( it gets me all the time, especially on the phone ) but strops should be taut, strop making is taught.

Yep, people need to be taught to keep the strop taut.

 

[professorchaos]

"No pressure" on the blade while stropping is virtually impossible.

And virtually unnecessary. Just enough to keep the blade on the strop will suffice.

 

[Brianskeet]

In the end it is all about the shave so do what works for you! I love my hanging strops and use all of them. Pick the one I am going to use that day based on nothing more than mood. I have never used a paddle strop so likely would be poor at it for a while. Hang on to your hanging strop You may get the urge to give it another go sometime!

 

[jeff_C]

Yep. It came and I love it... Works great for me. But I do think weeks of using a "bench strop" helped me hone my technique... how punny. LOL

 

[drmatt357]

Sounds like the green and red "rouge" is what's giving you your edge... which is fine. If you use a paddle and use more than 1 layer of tape to hone, you won't get to the edge of the blade on the strop.