I bought a cheap used razor from eBay to practice honing before touching my shaving razor. However, since my shaving razor was professionally honed, maintaining the edge will be easier than trying to make a neglected razor shave ready. I've seen various comments about maintaining the edge. I've seen people say that they use a polishing stone weekly, to maintaining an edge with paste, to people who get away with just stropping for months at a time. My question is, how do you determine what route to follow? Is there a suggested best practice for beginners? I'm a daily shaver, if that matters.
I realize that it's time to do something when the blade no longer shaves, but I'd imagine that this is a gradual progression and it won't be that one day it will shave just fine and the next it won't cut a hair. This suggests that regular maintenance may be a good idea rather than letting the blade get too dull.
I'm sure that, because of the different practices I cited, that this is an individual thing, and each person has different needs and interests. But I haven't seen anything that suggests where to start and step up to a more frequent or aggressive technique based on any criteria.
Thanks!