Thread: Mike Wallace's 4-sided paddle strop

Workmanship:
This is a quality product! Considering that this is the first 4-sided strop Mike has made, the quality is excellent. The body is made from 8" x 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" piece of hard rock maple. The handle is removable and hand finished by Mike. The 4 sides of the strop are stamped with the numbers 1 to 4 which given that this will be coated with invisible diamond spray, is a fantastic idea! The felt is an industrial grade compressed felt designed for high stress applications and works perfectly with diamond spray and chromium oxide. The leather side, while a little short, works well in places where a full sized strop is impractical. This strop overall, is very well made and should last a lifetime if properly taken care of.

Setup:
Given that this is a prototype, there were no sprays or pastes applied to the felt prior to receiving it. I applied 3 and 1 micron diamond spray to two of the felt sides and then applied a light mixture of chromium oxide wax melted in mineral oil to the remaining side.

Use:
I use this strop as a weekly touch up strop with my two user razors. For those not used to the feel of hard felt, there is little to no resistance and only a light touch is needed to achieve maximum results. I have used this as a touch up strop for about 7 months so far and have seen very little difference in the effectiveness of the sprays or the durability of the felt.

Summary:
I feel that this strop is a quality hand made product. I have no concerns with durability whatsoever. This is a strop for those who do not have a need for a set of hones but do want to maintain a few razors for personal use. The size is very compact and at only 8 inches long without the handle, is definitely an option to consider when traveling. Mike is flexible and can make you a strop with whatever felt/leather configuration you need. I believe that Mike is working on a way to sell these pre-charged with diamond sprays in the future.

Some final notes:
I discovered Mike when looking for an inexpensive strop for my razors on etsy. I contacted Mike later that day and asked him if he ever planned on making a 4-sided paddle strop for straight razor users. Mike responded to me with questions about what I might be looking for in a paddle strop. After weeks of talking about materials, dimensions, sprays, pastes, and costs, Mike completed his first prototype 4-sided paddle strop. Mike generously offered me the prototype free of charge so that I could test the strop on my razors. I am proud to say that I contributed in making this awesome product. Thanks again Mike for your generosity!