Knife sharpening tips and what to purchase to sharpen?

Don't concern yourself too much with a strop, it's more of a crutch to a beginner than a tool.

If you buy a strop buy a quality piece of horse or kangaroo and DO NOT put compound on it. Use it bare and you will be amazed at what it can do.

To strop with compound it's difficult to beat 1 micron diamond spray on balsa wood or other stiff substrates. For stropping on a budget a piece of denim stretched across a board with some Mothers Mag Polish can do wonders.

For sharpening Shapton Pro waterstones 1k and 5k would be my recommended starting point. I would start here and hold off on strops for a while. Work on your technique first until you can get sharp edges off the stones.
 
An old leather belt and some chrome polishing compound rubbed on and you're good to strop
 
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