Trying to decide on getting a 2.5" wide strop or a 3" wide strop. My only experience with hanging strops is with 3" wide strops. Which width do you prefer/recommend and why?
Strop Width: 2.5" vs 3"?
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The more I do with straight razors, the more I feel the old guys knew a lot more than we give them credit for.
A 2.5 inch strop will force you to strop an X stroke and strop the whole edge, heel and toe.
If you hone only straight strokes, you will hone a frown into the edge. If you have a 3 inch just strop with a slight X stroke.
A 2.5 inch strop will force you to strop an X stroke and strop the whole edge, heel and toe.
If you hone only straight strokes, you will hone a frown into the edge. If you have a 3 inch just strop with a slight X stroke.
I much prefer a 2.5" or narrower strop.
2 1/2" has always been my favorite as I an a pretty traditional guy. The market however seems to favor 3" now days. Many European strops were 2" or even narrower but I suppose here in the USA the "bigger is better" kicks in even if bigger is not always better. For a purely artistic standpoint I think the 2 1/2" has better proportions and just looks nicer than a 3" (with D-rings) but handles do elongate the looks making them more graceful looking but again, this has nothing to do with function, just aesthetics.
Wider is more likely to cup but that can be averted with some strop designs and a bit of care. Most (many?) feel an X-pattern is a good idea and that can still be done on a 3" strop. Some cloth materials are only available in 3" widths which can also be a deciding factor.
Wider is more likely to cup but that can be averted with some strop designs and a bit of care. Most (many?) feel an X-pattern is a good idea and that can still be done on a 3" strop. Some cloth materials are only available in 3" widths which can also be a deciding factor.
My first strop was 2". I didn't love it but it was perfectly serviceable. I ended up giving it to my nephew as a starter strop for him. I made a 3" strop out of veg tanned cowhide, which I thought I would like better. In retrospect I think I do like it better, not just for the size, but I think I would prefer 2.5" to be honest. I have another piece of 3" cowhide that I could probably cut down but I'm not that worked up about it at the moment.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Having stropped with 3", 2½" and 2", I find that I much prefer the 2½". The 2½" does require slight elongated X strokes but that is not a critical as when using a 2" strop. In fact I don't even concentrate on X strokes, they just come naturally for me on the 2½".
The B&B way is to get both and try each. Determine which is to your liking and PIF the other.
The B&B way is to get both and try each. Determine which is to your liking and PIF the other.
My thought process is that a 3" wide strop allows you to keep the entire edge on the strop. Yes, you do need to include some diagonal motion. If you have a 2 1/2" strop, the center gets more attention than the heal and toe unless you have the blade going diagonally across the strop width so that all the blade is in contact. These are my thoughts, but others have valid points as well.
Use whatever width give you the most confidence when stropping.
Use whatever width give you the most confidence when stropping.
When I X stroke on a three inch strop I find that if my pressure gets close to the edge there is more twisting moment in the strop simply because the edge of the strop is farther from the center than it would be on a narrower strop. I have a 1.5" travel strop that I get along fine with.
Give that man a cheroot! The two different sizes do feel different in use so you will probably prefer one or the other and so of course, use the one you like best.
I have and use both. I find a 2 1/2" strop to perhaps be a little easier to use because it requires less tension than a 3" strop. But for me the difference is small enough that it does not carry the day. I do not have any strops made of the same material in two different sizes so generally the material is the choice and whatever width it happens to be (some are 65mm also).
I also have linen in 2 1/2, 2 3/4 and 3" width but just use the size that hangs with the strop I am using. Just not enough of a difference to me to even bother grabbing a different piece of linen. Though I am trying out a looser weave linen that happens to be 2 3/4 so that one is getting most attention but not because of its width.
I have and use both. I find a 2 1/2" strop to perhaps be a little easier to use because it requires less tension than a 3" strop. But for me the difference is small enough that it does not carry the day. I do not have any strops made of the same material in two different sizes so generally the material is the choice and whatever width it happens to be (some are 65mm also).
I also have linen in 2 1/2, 2 3/4 and 3" width but just use the size that hangs with the strop I am using. Just not enough of a difference to me to even bother grabbing a different piece of linen. Though I am trying out a looser weave linen that happens to be 2 3/4 so that one is getting most attention but not because of its width.
One other thing- the wider the strop, the more it tends to twist as the blade moves to the edge of the strop. And it is a pretty noticeable difference, even between 2 1/2 and 3" wide strops. Drop down to, say, 1 1/2" wide and the twist is just about gone. I have been using 3" strops for so long I guess I compensate by dropping the heel of the razor and rotating it a bit so the toe does not dig in. But I think it is easier to strop, especially for those somewhat new to stropping, on a narrower strop for that reason alone.
Ideally my choice would be 2.5, but the strop I use is 3", because I couldn't get the cloth component I wanted in 2.5".
My preferred strop is 2.5 in. wide. But I find some of my bigger, heavier razors don't like it as much as I do. They seem to prefer my 3" strop. To my way of thinking that means I absolutely *need* both.
I prefer 2-1/2" wide or narrower with no handle. Can't comfortable get my off-hand around a 3"-wide strop. A pity that the strop manufacturers seem to be making things wider and wider these days (ditto for brushes).
