So really, we are talking about two different things, the strop material and or quality and learning to strop. You can buy the most expensive highest quality strop and if you haven’t developed good stropping skills, the strop will not make much difference. It fact odds are, you will damage the strop before you develop skills.

Paddle stropping and hanging are different skill sets, due to the mechanics. They are similar but not the same.

I would recommend you practice on a clean leather belt, inexpensive hanging strop or better yet nylon strapping from a Fabric store. Nylon is very forgiving and difficult to cut or nick, perfect for learning. You should be able to buy a yard for a couple of bucks. Once you have developed muscle memory, probably 6 months of daily stropping then go to leather. The effect on the bevel and edge will be about the same. It is really more technique than the type or the material of the strop.

When stropping forget what you have seen on TV, Movies and YouTube. Go slow and keep the razor flat on the strop. Pay attention at the flip. Getting the razor on to the strop is where people get into trouble. A second of inattention will cut your strop, Slow and Consistent is what you want.