I always strop my razors , shortly before I shave . Some people even strop them after shaving , to dry the edge of the razor . You should only hone your razor when it needs honing . There is no set amount of time a razor should last between honings . I give my razors a light touch up on my finish hone (around 5 strokes) , when I first notice the razor is not as sharp as it can be . This way , I maintain a sharp edge , instead of losing a sharp edge , and having to rebuild it .