Strops and stropping are very controversial topics. After a day of honing razors and using various strops and then checking the edges under a metallurgical microscope at 10,000x, we no longer use hanging strops. The leather folds around the edge and fatigues the metal until it breaks off. It’s not an edge that will last very long.
To fix this problem we created the Constroption. It’s a fixed, 4 plate lapping system that is very flat and doesn’t fold around the edge. The first plate is .5 micron DMT diamond, the second plate is .25 micron CrOx, the third is Purple Phase, and the fourth is Zulu Phase. These last two are garnet based abrasives I make myself as there is nothing like them on the market. At 40,000 and 50,000 grit respectively, they finish off a bevel and an edge even finer than the 30,000 grit Shapton stone we conclude honing with at the end of our progression. The Constroption is $189, shipping in the US included.