Thread: How often should you hone a razor?

When talking about time in between honing sessions there is so many variables I find it almost useless comparing myself to someone else.
No one will ever get good at honing by just refreshing one razor once in a blue moon. Hence someone who is proficient at honing could keep a razor keen longer than someone who isn't. Now throw razor make, razor grind, skin type, hair type, technique, frequency and just simple personal preference into the mix and we come to our infamous YMMV.
I love to hone my own razors (never thought I'd say that)
I'll test a razor with multiple finishing hones just to see which one i like with that particular razor but to answer your question, I don't know, I just get bored and hone it anyway

Originally Posted by Augustagj

The only thing which I believe I may do differently than most is strop the Razor with the strop lying on a flat surface.

Couple of questions:
1) what kind or strop....what kind of leather/fabric are you using? Anything applied to them?
2) any particulars on your shaving technique? How many passes, angle etc?

Here are some details from my experience: In my 11 razors in rotation, stroped randomly via 10 different, but all vintage shell/linen hose strops, I have lost count how many shaves per honing they do, but they see stones very rarely...Still, I can never see them ever get to the numbers you are getting! Having too many razors lowers their need for honing....also, the reason for my reluctance to hone is that once they get nice and smooth after 10-20 shaves, it feels I would ruin them if I put them on the stones to soon, for no reason. The high HRC blades are known to last. My Eskiltuna and japanese blades have not been honed for a couple of years... My blades, even some softer Solingen steel.... have benefited from the good strops, and the ever improving stropping technique used (every session is a skill improvement excercise...), even though their draw is different....most do not have much draw. I find my shaving technique : 10 degree or less closer to the skin, no downward pressure on the skin, point leading, no buffing, short 1-2 inch strokes,two and a half....rarely three passes, contributes to edge longevity, even though these variables are used primarily for comfort.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

I'm surprised no-one asked what the razor is ?

I'm much more interested in what his strop is!

To the OP you clearly are doing a great job of stropping.

2 years is pretty impressive. My personal best is 2 months, though I admit it wasn't that the razor needed honing. I just enjoy making sharp so I honed it anyway. I get a little down when I look at my line of honed razors and realize it could legitimately be years before I have to touch a sharpening stone to touch any up.