Thread: Greetings from West Texas

The Wiki here is a treasure-trove of information.

To maintain a straight razor indefinitely (if it starts out sharp):

. . . A leather strop (wide range of prices, sizes, finishes) (use before every shave)

. . . A fabric strop (usually sold with the leather strop) (use before the leather strop, every shave);

. . . A barber hone (around $20 for a vintage hone, there are no new ones) (use when the stropping doesn't leave the blade sharp enough).

I like using a CrOxide pasted strop to polish the edge after honing (and between trips to the barber hone), but that's personal preference.

Things only get complicated if you start with a razor that's dull, or chipped, or otherwise damaged. Then stones and honing skills become important.

"Honing" is one of the reasons some people prefer to use replaceable-blade straight razors -- Dovo Shavette, etc.

charles