Quote Originally Posted by honedright View Post
I was informed a few years ago by the CEO of Fromm Int'l, Bill Simon, the son of the founder of the Illinois Razor Strop Company (now Fromm), and who worked in strop production for many years, that generally shell strops were considered best (within the barbering community) for full hollow ground razors, and Russia strops for the thicker wedge razors which was often the "starter" razor for barber college students.
The Horse strops were considered best by barbers because they were heavy duty and thick and last forever. It had nothing to do with the result. No barber I ever saw had two strops hanging from his chair. They had only one leather one. Unless you're talking way way back in the late 1800s or very early 1900s wedge razors fell out of favor with barbers once hollow grinds came out and became popular. Very few barbers used wedges. Maybe a few real old timers who learned the trade in the 1800s.