Cloth strops are not absolutely necessary. Lots of people do without them.I don't know what I'm happier with - lol. I'm information gathering at this point while waiting for the stuff to arrive. Still haven't held a straight razor in my hand, it'll probably be here Tuesday.
It's par for the course when embarking on a new pursuit - lots of varying perspectives and often contradictory advice. Just trying to sift through it.
Do you think the cloth strops are even necessary? Or should I be able to do everything I need to do with the honing stones and a leather strop?
I personally use one, and find that the material I use (flax linen) helps the edge a little, but mainly because it is good to make sure that any microscopic particles of corrosion, soap, moisture, or whatever are wiped off on the linen before I use the leather. Could I live without it? sure, but I have it there, so why not use it? It certainly doesn't hurt.