SHARPAL 204N Leather Strop (Genuine Cowhide) L 20cm x W 7.5cm Kit with 54g. Polishing Compound & Angle Guide, Knife Stropping Block for Sharpening & Honing Knives, Straight Razor, Woodcarving Chisels

Learn how to use one properly! It's not rocket science but it's super easy to think you know what you're doing and destroy the surface. It's also really easy to round off your cutting edge and actually have the knife lose sharpness. The actual strop is a well shaped piece of wood with a flat piece of leather attached. On the underside is a pair of very sturdy non-slip feet. This means you can totally concentrate on the blade. It's going nowhere on a kitchen worktop. This is not flexing as you use it. The leather is very smooth so if you prefer a more suede feel surface it's not for you. There's nothing objectively wrong with the green wax based compound included and it will give good results. However, with a diamond based compound this comes into its own. Do not expect this to take a dull knife to sharp. This is not what it's for. Sharpen on a diamond stone first and remove as much of the burr as possible on the stone. If that made no sense go to YouTube and look up videos on the topic. If you don't know about these things you may well get poor results and blame the product. With proper use alongside a sharpening stone this strop took a kitchen knife (pictured) to being like a razor. It's also a very good size for even the longest kitchen knives. I cannot fault this product.

Sharper chisels and plane irons

Great for refining an edge on your chisels or plane blades. The leather strop is stuck to a beech block with a rubberised base to stop slippage in use, and it comes with a bar of chromium oxide polishing compound. The only downside I've found is that the leather cuts easily if you're not careful. Good value for money, handy size, and great for a razor sharp hone.

This is a really nice strop. Not the cheapest, but by no means poor value at the roughly seventeen quid I paid. The veg-tan leather is thick, flat and even, the base is solid beech with rubber feet, and it fits nicely in the recess on the lid of a Sharpal 75x200mm diamond stone storage box. Like most of the reviewers, I bought this to use with a diamond polishing compound rather than the green waxy stropping compound it came with. I'm about to buy another to use with an even finer diamond compound. The back of it is nice and flat, so you could attach another bit of leather and make it double sided, though to retain the rubber feet, which stop it sliding around, you'd either need very thin leather or thicker feet. (I did actually try out the supplied green compound - a mix of aluminium and chromium oxides, apparently, in a waxy matrix - just as a polish on a rag, and I have to say it's more than adequate - I've no reason to think it wouldn't make a perfectly fine job of honing knives.)

Works great, would buy again

Brilliant strop, and combined with the Sharpal diamond stone, gives a razor sharp finish. Great quality and a terrific flat finish with a robust anti slip base, make this a pleasure to use.

I’ve got a few strips now and I’m not convinced with this one I got the double sided beavercraft one it’s better the flat peace of leather without wood handle is best

Great value. Good quality construction and materials. This strop is impressively flat and smooth. The base is solid beech. The leather is thick with a tight nap. It works really well as a strop. My only reservations are with the green honing compound. There are better compounds available. Finally, the leather is a bit soft when new but it should develop a patina in use. Overall, this strop is great value. Recommended!