I would recommend using a cheap strop before switching to a better one. Not because you'll wreck the edge (roll the edge, forcing a rehone), but because you'll cut the strop. Everyone does.
If you have a worn out pair of denim trousers, a swatch of fabric from the leg makes a fine impromptu strop, as does pasted newsprint. The strop material and value matters less than one might think, reading some of the straight razor posts.
Just remember to roll the blade on the spine, not the edge, practice the stropping movement in mid-air for a bit before using the strop, and you'll do fine.