Quote Originally Posted by hoglahoo View Post
I don't quite understand the difference between the two poll options

If I touch up a soft razor a few passes on a barber hone once a week, it should always keep just fine, since even though it dulls so quickly it hones up so easily.

And if I touch up a hard razor a few passes on a barber hone once a week, it should always keep just fine since I am touching it up much more often than it actually needs therefore never letting it get dull enough to require a laborious touch up

Is this correct?

You might also consider the "I don't mind either way" poll option [Edit: I chose both options via the multiple choice vehicle]
partially.

Most razors we use you will get so many shaves out of and then you do 30 or so passes on your hone of choice and its as good as new. There are some razors you can get 2x as many shaves with but they require maybe 3x passes on the hone to bring back. Whether you can do a few passes with more frequency and keep them up to snuff is another thing. Then there are razors like the ones I referenced that to do a normal touchup can take literally hundreds of passes because the steel is so hard. These razors may shave for alot more shaves before needing attention but when they do it can be a major chore. This is really what I was aiming at. An extreme example is the TI damascus. When I got mine it was like a butter knife and of course this is not a normal touchup however I didn't have to touch the bevel it just need major honing and it took me literally months of on and off honing to get it to shave well. Now I've been using it literally for years without have to touch it to a hone but eventually I will have to and I fear that day.

As far as doing passes to keep a razor shaving 100% when its shaving 100% I don't know about that. Its not something I do. It just seems like putting unnecessary wear on the piece.