Best Straight Razor Strop (2023 Buyers Guide – BONUS)
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Having a good razor strop is key to having the best straight razor shaving experience. Unfortunately, some poor-quality razor strops are on the market, which is crazy for such a simple-looking product.
Razor strops are like wide and flexible genuine leather belts with a metal loop on one end and a buckle on the other. However, some razor strops are made of balsa wood, canvas, and denim. A straight razor – unlike disposable razors or safety razors – needs to be stropped. We recommend stropping your razor before every shave to polish the edge and free it of honing burr.
If you’re just hearing about razor strops and stropping, you’re in the right place. We’ll list the best straight razor strops on the market, a quick buying guide, and how to use your cut throat razor strop.
Best Straight Razor Strops at a Glance
| Brand/ Model | Highlights | Where to Get | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | The Best Choice
DOVO Razor Strop Leather-Cotton Click on the product name to jump to our short review |
| Check Price |
| | Experienced user
DOVO Shaving Strop, Cowhide Russian Hanging (180) Click on the product name to jump to our short review |
| Check Price |
 | Best Budget Strop
RED DEER Straight Razor Strop Click on the product name to jump to our short review |
| Check Price |
 | Amazon Bestseller
Fromm Illinois 2.5″ Straight Razor Strop Click on the product name to jump to our short review |
| Check Price |
 | Best Value
Dovo Razor Strop, No Handle (Model 152) Click on the product name to jump to our short review |
| Check Price |
 | Best Paddle Strop
Herold Solingen Razor Strop With Clamp HS57J Click on the product name to jump to our short review |
| Check Price |
 | Leather Balm
DOVO Leather Balm for Razor Strops Click on the product name to jump to our short review |
| Check Price |
 | Strop Dressing
Fromm Strop Dressing Click on the product name to jump to our short review |
| Check Price |
What’s a Straight Razor Strop?
Simply put, a straight razor strop is used for realigning a misaligned edge. You can think of it as the final process of giving a cutting blade a fine and polished edge. We recommend stropping a straight razor before every shaving session.
Benefits of a Straight Razor Strop
Razor strops are beneficial to individuals who use straight razors often. In fact, maintaining a neat beard with a razor is easier when you have a quality razor strop. Some benefits you’ll reap from this tool include:
Edge Polishing
Stropping plays an important role in sharpening your razor. The fact that vintage and modern straight razors have thin blades means they need to be stropped often to remove post-honing burr.
Choice in Material
Strops are available in various materials, allowing you to choose one that meets your fancy. Most people go for leather strop belts with a buckle (minus the prong) on one end and a metal loop on the other to hang the strop on the wall. Aside from leather, you can also choose denim, canvas, and balsa wood strops.
Types of Straight Razor Strops
Newspaper Strops
Newspapers are good material to use in stropping your razor. Because of the ink in the newspaper, expect these razor strops to be somewhat abrasive than most. This is great because it’ll deliver a great edge. The best bit about these strops is that they eliminate the worry of maintenance or slicing the surface.
Balsa Wood Strops
Balsa wood strops are made from a piece of balsa wood that is carved in a way that you can soak it in a stropping paste or compound. A great advantage of these razor strops is that they are inexpensive and readily accessible.
Bench Strops
They are made from leather or felt material attached to a wooden base. You can place it on a tabletop or a workbench, and it works great with abrasive pastes and sprays, allowing you to improve your stropping results.
Loom Strops
These are made by wrapping leather around a metallic or wooden bracket. It’s not as popular as it was a few decades ago. And because of its limited availability, it fetches a high price. The best bit about these options is that you can adjust the tension.
Paddle Strops
Paddle strops are available in different forms, including basic razor strops with one surface material and one with different materials on its four sides. The material used can be leather, canvas, or felt.
Razor Strop Buying Guide
Below are the factors to consider when choosing the best razor strop to purchase:
- Material – when purchasing a razor strop, you need to consider the material quality used. Many mid-tier razor strops are made from cowhide leather, but there are canvas and leather models. Other high-end options are made from quality horse leather.
- Design – there are traditional razor strops that need hanging on a wall, and there are paddled designs that have better stability but provide a limited stropping surface. There is also the option of a loom strop with adjustable tension pegs that allow the user to choose the desired draw.
- Size – the length of your strop determines how many passes you’ll make before getting a perfect strop. Width is also important as it determines the level of precision you require. The general rule of thumb is to purchase razor strops over 2.5 inches wide.
Best Straight Razor Strops (Summary)
Last update on 2024-08-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Here are some of the best razor strops we’ve come across, along with their pros and cons.
1. DOVO Shaving Strop, Plain 185 (former 183) – The Best Choice
What better razor strop to kick off our list than one from the best straight razor manufacturers – Dovo? The hanging strop is made from organically tanned cowhide that’ll serve you for a long time. We love that it’s wide enough to strop the full length of your razor evenly without bothering with sideways motions to cover the full length of your razor’s edge.
The process Dovo used to prepare the leather belt for stropping leaves no unevenness or scarring, thus ensuring the best stropping results. Although this Dovo Shaving Strop has a plain design, it’s not an eye sore. If anything, the black chrome finishes on either end beautifully contrast the strop. It is a perfect match for your DOVO Bismarck!
It’s worth noting that Dovo adds a white paste to the strop at the factory to improve the sharpening effect.
- Wide enough for easy stropping
- Integrated padded handle for a comfortable pull
- High-quality stitching ensures durability
- Soft cotton backside
- The quality comes at a steep price
- Over time, the strop flakes
2. Dovo Shaving Strop, Cowhide Russian Hanging (Model 180) – For the Experienced User
As an experienced wet shaver and razor stropping expert, you want a strop with above-average perks. A strop that will help you get a sharp razor edge in a short time. If this is you, then the DOVO Shaving Strop, Cowhide Russian Hanging (Model 180) is a perfect fit for you.
The Dovo 180 razor strop is highly praised for its exceptional cowhide leather and perfect stitching. Even better, the strop has a double-sided design – one side is cowhide leather, and the other is hemp. The hemp side is perfect for cleaning and warming your blade before a stropping session. The hemp side also comes in handy for use with pastes to help preserve your razor’s edge.
The Dovo 180 is one of the largest on Dovo’s line at 80mm wide. With this width, you’ll manage to strop the entire razor’s edge without using the X pattern. And instead of a padded handle, the Dovo 180 features a finger loop handle.
- Ready to use right off the box
- Wide enough for straight motion stropping
- Durable leather strop even with heavy stropping
- Quite pricey
3. RED DEER Straight Razor Strop – Best Budget Strop
Red Deer is popular for making hiking gear and hunting knives. However, this strop is better suited for barber shop instead of hunting. Also, we should point out that even though the brand name has ‘Deer’ in it, it’s not made of deer leather; instead, it’s made of cowhide leather.
As far as design goes, this Red Deer razor strop leans on the traditional side. Its wall hung and has a double-sided design (a fine side and a suede side), making it ideal for professionals. With twenty inches in length and two inches in width, you’ll need to learn decent stropping techniques to get the best results. Also, instead of an eyelet ring, the strop has a looped hook to allow hanging on a wall.
We love that this strop is built to last and that it has a simple design. However, we’d have loved it if it were a little longer.
- Can sharpen most knives too
- The strop handle is comfortable to hold
- Basic yet solid design
- Affordably priced
- The fine side wears out over time
- The leather could be of better quality. But for the price, we can’t dwell on this too much
- The strop should be slightly longer
4. Fromm Illinois 2.5” – Online Bestseller
This strop has been getting a lot of attention on major web stores. Fromm Illinois is a US brand that’s been manufacturing barber shop tools and apparel since 1907. They make the strop from quality linen and grain cowhide. This particular
model measures 23 inches long and 2.5 inches wide.
The canvas is impregnated with zinc oxide to generate a sharper cutting edge, while the other side offers a smooth finish whether you use a strop balm or not.
Note: Never use the stropping balm on canvas razor strops.
With the relatively wide stropping surface, the Fromm Illinois strop comes with a shorter learning curve. Many professional barbers love using it in their shops, especially since the 2.5-inch surface affords them a fast and efficient strop before each shave.
Aside from this, the strop has loads of decorations that add to its beauty and a secure grip that guarantees a great and efficient stropping experience.
5. Dovo Razor Strop, No Handle (Model 152) – Best Value
This is yet another pick from Dovo. The Dovo 152 is slightly similar to the Dovo 180 but with a different dimension. Like most Dovo strops, the Dovo 152 is made from vegetable-tanned cow leather. The technique, called old tanning, prepares the leather for use as a strop. This treatment removes unevenness and scarring, making it perfect for stropping your straight razor.
The strop measures 30.5 cm x 4.5 cm x 0.3 cm. The hook is made from nickel-plated material and beautifully contracts the leather strop.
Note: Because the strop is made from vegetable-tanned leather, you shouldn’t hang or store it in direct sunlight or close to a heat source. Moreover, you should avoid storing it in humid spaces like your bathroom. Occasionally polishing the strop with a leather balm will help preserve the stropping surface.
- Soft and thick quality leather
- Ideal purchase for beginners
- Durable and compact for traveling
- Lacks a canvas or cloth backing
6. Herold Solingen Razor Strop with Clamp Hs57j – Best Paddle Strop
Like Dovo, Herold is also a German brand specializing in creating quality strops from Russian cow leather. The Herold Solingen Razor Strop HS57J is a paddle strop with two leather sides (a smooth leather side and a suede side) attached to a wooden paddle acting as the skeleton.
The razor is only seven inches long and 1.57 inches wide, making it the smallest strop on our list. With such a small form factor, you’ll have to develop a great stropping technique to get the best results from this strop. But on the bright side, paddle strops don’t need much space to store. Even better, they need minimal maintenance.
Before you start stropping with the Herold strop, you should apply some stropping compound. Do this by rubbing the green block against the suede’s surface. Afterward, you can pass the razor along the surface with little pressure being sure to draw away from your blade. You should maintain the same angle you used when passing it on sharpening stones it for best results.
- Long-lasting
- Great value for money
- Sharpen straight razors and knives perfectly
- If you don’t store or maintain it well, the leather will start to crack
- The small stropping surface needs a higher stropping technique
Bonus: Best Natural Leather Balm for Razor Strops and Stropping Paste
Even high-quality leather strops will dry out and crack if it’s not well maintained. The trick is keeping the leather strop from direct sunlight or heat. In addition to this, it’s great to use a leather balm to keep the surface soft and supple for the best results. This Dovo Leather Balm is designed to do just that.
This leather balm contains lanolin and Vaseline, ingredients that will help extend the life of your leather strop. For best results, we suggest smearing a small amount of the balm on your hand and then rubbing it over the leather surface. With the Dovo balm, a little goes a long way.
- A little goes a long way
- Easy to use
- Leaves the leather smelling like new
- Leaves a waxy finish
- A little pricey
Fromm Strop Dressing
We recommend this strop dressing to keep your leather soft and supple for longer. The strop dressing comes in a 4 oz bottle that’s easy to pour out of. Even better, it’s simple to apply and increases the drag on your straight razor for better results.
- Absorbs well with little discoloration
- A little goes a long way
- Restores dry and cracked leather
- It cannot be used on canvas
Are Strops Ready to Use Immediately?
In most cases, yes. Strops are sold and ready to use right after unboxing. That said, applying conditioner to some strops is a good idea. Some people prefer making the surface coarser using sandpaper and leather, but this isn’t necessary.
How Long Will My Strop Last?
Many strops last anywhere between six to twelve months. However, some good brands can last longer with good maintenance. You should be careful not to scratch or cut the surface with every stroke over time.
What Are Pastes, and How Do They Help?
Stropping paste is a polishing agent that adds an abrasive layer to the surface, allowing you to perform some final touches on your blade. Stropping pastes are available in different grit grades used for different touchups. You can know the grit level of the paste by color or micron, but since they aren’t industry standards, they are unreliable.
Most straight razor users prefer green or red chromium oxide paste that has levels between 0.5 and 1 microns. In addition to the pastes, you should consider diamond sprays as these can achieve the same goal.
Be careful when using pastes as the process is irreversible. Also, use only one paste grade for one strop.
Conclusion
We appreciate you for coming this far in our learning process. All strops recommended above will do an excellent job for your straight razor. And if you are new to this, you can read this guide or our how to strop a straight razor article.
Razor Strops FAQ
Is a Straight Razor the Best for Shaving?
Straight shaving will positively affect your physical, emotional, and economic well-being, all while reducing your impact on the environment. Although using a straight razor for the first time can be daunting, it's rewarding once you master the art of wet shaving. You'll get a close, clean and perfect shave with minimal effort and little time.
Should You Oil Your Strop?
You can rub the oils on the leather several times before the shave. For most leather strops, the natural oils from the palm of your hand is sufficient leather care.
Can I Use My Leather Belt for Stropping?
Yes. However, you should ensure the belt is made from one strip of durable leather. That said, remember it's not an actual strop – it may be great as an alternative but not the main strop.
