For the best possible edge. If you're looking for the sharpest edge possible we recommend our leather strops. We have found nothing puts that final edge on a knife better than a leather strop. A Versatile StropOur 8" Double Sided Paddle Strop is very versatile tool that is large enough to handle most knives and tools, and yet is a comfortable size to use. The leather area on our 8" Leather Paddle Strop measures 8" x 2" in size for a total of 16 square inches of stropping surface. The total length of the strop is over 12". The leather accepts honing compounds of various grades. We recommend our Green Honing Compound. Perfect for Knives and ToolsThe leather strop isn’t new to sharpening but it is still confusing to some. Like a razor strop, the Paddle Strop is used to put a very fine edge on your blade. Barbers have been using leather razor strops for decades to keep an extremely sharp edge on their straight razors. The razor strop is an essential tool for any barber or anyone needing to keep a straight razor sharp enough to shave with. While a razor strop can be used to sharpen a traditional knife, it just isn’t the right tool for the job. For putting the final edge on tools and knives, we recommend a Bench Strop. After sharpening your knife or tool on a bench stone, we recommend finishing it off with a bench strop for an extremely sharp edge. Just think of this strop as your finest stone. Both Smooth and Suede Leather on the Same StropStrops can be made with smooth leather (grain side) or rough leather (flesh side). When deciding which one to carry we had to consider not only our own preferences but also the preferences of others for woodworking tools, carving tools, and knife sharpening. We even put them to a performance test and in the end, either one worked great. So our 2 Sided Paddle Strop has 1 smooth side and 1 suede side. Both sides are shown in the photo above. Smooth - The smooth leather option is a very firm piece of leather. This leather is selected specifically for the smooth side only. If the leather is too hard, it just doesn't doesn't work well and doesn't accept compound well. If the leather is too soft, it doesn't produce as fine of an edge and won't hold up. This leather is more durable than the soft. Suede - The suede side uses the opposite side of the leather (it is technically called the flesh side). The leather we use is selected for its flesh side properties. This leather is different leather than our smooth side leather. In our research, the leather that makes a good suede side is different than the leather that makes a good smooth side. Our suede leather is a little softer than the smooth leather. The suede leather accepts compound very readily. Made with pride in the USA. Q. Do you have instructions on how to use a Double-Sided Paddle Strop? A. Yes. See our Instructions for Double-Sided Paddle Strops. Q. Do you recommend using a compound on the strop? A. Yes, we highly recommend a compound. Our Green Honing Compound will quickly put a fine polish on the edge of knives and tools. Q. I'm sharpening carving tools, should I choose the rough or the smooth side? A. We've used both sides and have found either to work very well. That being said, carvers seem to prefer the rough side. Q. What are the differences between the various strops you offer? A. To see all our mounted strops side-by-side, check out our article Comparing Mounted Leather Strops.
