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Using a sharpening stone can be a little overkill if all you really need is a little touch up before your knife is ready to go again. Which is why the best leather strop will allow you to fix anything from blemishes to rolled edges in seconds.

Frequently used with compound, these fine abrasives are what can give a mirror polish to an edge. We determined the best strop to use for edging a fine blade is BeaverCraft’s Leather Strop that comes with a green honing compound. While it’s compatibility to sharpen a variety of tools is versatile, it specializes in sharpening all wood carving tools.

Best Strop

Leather strops don’t have to be thick to work well. In fact, thin, firm leather prevents the edge from rolling over and is much better for high carbon steel blades. Find the best leather strop for you.

BeaverCraft’s double sided strop sharpener is approximately 14.57 inches in length, with the length of the cowhide leather being 9,45 inches long. Having access to both sides is great, but what’s most important is that there is enough stropping material to get an edge razor sharp. The average strop length runs on the shorter side in terms of length, and while those will suffice, something larger is considerably more diverse for multiple types of tools.

Of other essential elements necessary for sharpening your tools, compounds play an important role in completing that process. BeaverCraft includes a green compound for a final mirror polish finish, which is completely suitable for all types of knives.

Ebook sharpening instructions on “how to sharpening whittling knife” and “5 steps to sharpening a hook knife” are included with the purchase of the strop. It’s an invaluable addition if this will be your first time sharpening knives. While our instruction on the subject is enough to get the idea, the ebooks they offer dissect the process thoroughly.

One of the best leather strops is by Sharp Pebble which sports a classic design created from genuine leather that ensures the sharpest edge when it’s all said and done. Whether you are fixing a rolled edge, sharpening your tools to continue working, or just general maintenance, consistent performance proves the Sharp Pebble strop to be very reliable.

The most unique features that puts the Sharp Pebble in the runner up position is its hands-off usability. It is both convenient and intentionally more productive if you are able to hone your tools in the middle of work. It doesn’t seem like that much of a hassle to use both hands, but I’ve been in it countless circumstances where the option would have proven to be 100% worth it. The bamboo base is attached to a non-slip rubber bottom for creating a make-shift work station anywhere you want.

The last step to having the edge of your blade ready for more work starts with the best strop.

Just need a strop?

If you already have something solid to put the best strop on, then we recommend using this option. Lavoda uses 4mm thick 100% vegetable tanned leather to deliver almost the best leather strop available. This option is 8″ long X 3″ wide so you will need to find a piece of flat wood with these dimensions to put it on.

Comes with a white (aluminum oxide) and green (chromium oxide) compound, which is all you really need to maintain an edge. The main purpose of its surface is to eliminate any burr left over from sharpening stones during the final stages of polishing.

Overall, it is a simple and incredibly effective leather strop that is best if you already have some wood and adhesive spray or tape to put it all together. Nothing over the top or too flashy, but just enough to show you its invaluable polish for your blade.

Can be used to sharpen:

• Woodworking Chisels
• Whittling Knives
• Hook Knives
• Straight Razors
• Utility Knives
• Hunting Knives
• Folding Knives
• Fillet Knives
• Kitchen Knives
• Chef’s Knife

This is going to be the best leather strop for whittling and chip carving knives. Blade shapes like those have are easier to sharpen and polish horizontally, back and forth (left to right, right to left).

Strops come with both suede and smooth options and can even have both on the same strop. This leads a lot of us to wonder which one is better?

In conjunction with compounds, it is common practice to use suede and use the smooth surface for plain honing, but is not a universal method. I found that it all boils down to a combination of personal preference and the edge type that is being honed.

Edges like straight razors are typically used on the smooth surface since the grain side is perfect for their fragile, low angle edges.

Woodcarvers and knife sharpeners use suede surface. Suede is just a lot better at holding compound well for the polishing woodcarving tools need. The soft suede adds a bit of rounding to the bevel while suede compresses underneath the blade, which a lot of us find desirable.

If you are using little to no compound then you might prefer the smooth grain surface.

Sharpening woodcarving tools like chisels where rounding the bevel is not desired find harder surfaces work to their advantage.

This leather strop kit comes with black, green, and white compounds to put on two separate strops (smooth & suede) that can be attached to 10″ long X 3″ wide honing block.

Ultimately, if you’re wanting to use a surface for woodcarving knives this option is easy to setup and perfect for these tools, unless you’re looking to hone your hook knives which case I would recommend our 1st option above. It is also more affordable than our other options, considering everything you get.

Can be used to sharpen:

• Woodworking Chisels
• Whittling Knives
• Straight Razors
• Utility Knives
• Hunting Knives
• Folding Knives
• Fillet Knives
• Kitchen Knives
• Chef’s Knife

How to use a strop

First you must apply your compound (black, white, red, or green) to the leather strop, a little bit goes a long way so there is no need to cake it on there but do make sure the strop is covered in the compound.

Lay the bevel against the surface of the best leather strop and apply light pressure and begin moving the blade away from the cutting edge. Flip the blade to the opposite side and repeat the process.

It’s important not to move the blade toward the cutting edge because it will cut right into the strop, which will cause dulling of the balde and ruin the best leather strop. Four to six strokes is enough to get the job done.

If you want to maintain that razor sharp edge, you will need to strop your blade before you even think your edge is dull.

What is honing compound?

Compound comes in several colors and is an extremely fine abrasive implemented in the final polishing stages of sharpening, typically come as a wax bar, paste, or a spray.

The slightly abrasive honing compounds are what help reach a sharp edge faster and easier, usually measured in microns. The biggest difference between each is the type of abrasives.

The easiest way to tell which is the coarsest to the most fine is by their color. (black, white, green, red).

Stropping compound can get a little technical which is a little obvious to some of us considering it is made up of specific scientific elements.  I’ll make it easy for everyone to understand what a honing compound is in order for you to find the best stropping compound to reach a finer edge on your blade.

What each compound is for

Emery: Black colored compounds are always much more coarse and will cut off more material than the other 3.

Aluminum Oxide: White compounds are used to cut and polish. Average particle size is 0.3 microns and is the better choice compared to emery in terms of the optimal amount of material cut off for rolled edges and abrasions.

Chromium Oxide: Green compounds are used to cut less and polish more. Average particle size is 0.5 micron or less, equivalent to a 3000 grit stone. Use on paddle strops.

Ferric Oxide: Red compounds are used somewhat for cutting, but mostly polishing.

Do I need compound?

You can use a strop without any compound applied to it. A smooth leather strop with no applied compound is great for removing blemishes and burrs on the edge.

BUT, if you’re wanting to get a razor sharp edge, the abrasive particles in compounds help do this much quicker.

I find it is best to mix both. Use one side of a strop for a compound to achieve a great edge for carving wood, then follow up with polishing on the plain side.

Concluding Thoughts

The type of strop you purchase is not nearly as important as having one for daily maintenance. It is common practice to keep your blade sharp in order to continue carving and is necessary for any type of wood your blade is up against.

The only the more dangerous than a sharp blade is a dull one!