Bare Strop vs Loaded with CBN or Diamond

[taz575]

Yes, too steep of an angle and too much pressure can round the apex of the edge. Even with hard backed strops, leather has give still and if you put too much pressure and towards the edge, it can round the apex.

Hanging strops are easier to round the apex because you need to keep the strop tight and use no pressure. Adding compounds makes it easier/quicker to round the apex.

Edited to add:

Hanging strops are often used on straight razors, where the edge is stupid fine, flexible and can be damaged easily. A hanging strop with the kitchen knife edge may not be as bad as on a straight razor.

Compounds on any strop will add some wear to the edge, so a very coarse compound (say 400 grit) will damage the edge a lot faster than a 1 micron emulsion would since it is coarser!

You can also use the "give" to your advantage, too if you wanted to help polish a blade road that may have some ripples in it, or if you want an edge that goes straight from the grind to the edge itself like on a yanagiba. The give can also help create a convex edge for more durability if you experience micro chipping as well without having to really change the angle as much!